New Judgment
by Full Course
Summary: Goku's daughter, Court, gets a proposal from Whis to replace Beerus as the new Goddess of Destruction. But why? She's much weaker than all the other Z Warriors; she's not even a fighter in the first place! Join her in this journey as she discovers the multiverse in a new light, the likes of which have never been seen before!
1. Chapter 1: The New Goddess, Maybe

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 1: The New Goddess… Maybe**

"So, Court… Are you ready?"

"Y-Yes… I'm ready, Whis."

"You sound nervous."

"Well, you know, this is kind of a big deal, so, uhh… I don't know what to expect, you know?"

"Hmm-hmm… Very well. Then let us begin the test."

Was I really ready? Boy, this sure was a great time to be having doubts. But no matter how difficult this test was going to be, I knew I had to pass it. I simply had to. I had been thinking long and hard for this decision, and after the dozens of threats that had come to endanger our planet, I realized that I would need to take drastic measures to keep everyone that I cared for safe. I was to become… the next Goddess of Destruction. With Beerus retired, Whis believed that I would be the most qualified for the job. At first it sounded absurd, but maybe destruction _wasn't_ just about wrath sated only by the complete extinction of others. Maybe there was more… you know, _thought_ to the whole process, some more insight into the decision to destroy rather than only focusing on the end result. Whatever the case, I had to make sure to pass this test. For mine and everyone's sake.

"The first question is…"

"… Keep calm, Court, you've got this…" I reassured myself under my breath.

"… What's five plus three?"

"… Eh?"

"Well?"

"O-Oh, u-umm… eight?"

"Correct! Congratulations, Court, you're already doing better than 97% of our candidates!"

"… You're kidding…"

"Ohoho! I wish I were."

Never freakin' mind, the test was actually a piece of cake. All of the questions were either basic knowledge about the history of the multiverse – all of which I had studied in the short text book Whis gave me – or common sense questions to ensure that I wasn't an idiot. Even then, I had to admit that my dad would have already flopped this thing, which is even more embarrassing considering he was the one that originally got the offer to become the next God of Destruction. Love the man, but he _did_ get dropped on the head as a kid, and _it shows_. Anyways, the test was almost over, I just needed to answer one more question.

"Hey, uhh, Whis? This _is_ the real test, right?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask, dear?"

"Well, it's just… It feels a bit… What's the word…"

"Easy?"

"… Yeah. Easy. _Really_ easy. _**Suspiciously**_ easy, even."

"Ohoho! Well, Court, I admire your attitude! But the next part won't be a question."

"Oh?"

"It's an order."

Saying this, Whis pointed his staff to the side. Suddenly, a boy was teleported to the spot where Whis was aiming. The kid didn't look human; I'm not sure what species he was, actually. But what I did know is that he was angry, and he was shouting insults and demands that a child of his age really shouldn't be saying, even if this was all a bit sudden. He might have been a kid, but he didn't appear innocent at all. I almost felt bad for him, just thinking of the kind of hell he must have been raised around.

"Who the hell are you freaks?! What the hell is this place?! You better get me back to my house, or I'm going to beat you all up! Don't think I won't do it!" God, he was a brat.

"Umm… Whis, who is this?"

"This is John Bon Bon, and he's been a naughty boy. He constantly bullies his little sister, gets in fights with all the other kids in his neighborhood, throws his mother's food at her face when he doesn't like it, steals property from the stores in his town, and just last week he killed his neighbor's new dog out of pure cruelty!"

"What?! How do you know all that, you blue-skinned jackass! If you tell on me, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!" This kid was horrible! But again, why would Whis…?

"So, Court, tell me… Wouldn't you agree that little John here has been a bit too, umm… _detrimental_ to the people around him?"

"I-I… Well, if what you're saying is true, then…"

"I'm glad you agree! And so, as the new Goddess of Destruction, it will be your job… to destroy him."

I… had a feeling this is what this was coming down to. Being the Goddess of Destruction meant that I'd have to erase evil out of existence, no matter what or who that evil was. This was my duty, and I had to go through with it… even if it meant killing a child. I mean, yeah, this kid was a _major_ trouble-maker – the dog part in particular struck a bad nerve inside me – but he was still a kid. Not to mention, I'd never taken a life before. When my uncle came to Earth back when my brother and I were only about four years old, I stayed home with my mom and didn't find out about all the horrible things that had gone down until way later when Krillin told us. Then when Vegeta and his partner Nappa invaded a year later, again, I was with mom, watching the fight from the glass ball of Master Roshi's sister. I didn't go to Namek, either. Garlic Junior, that… happened… I think. Heck, it wasn't until around the arrival of Trunks from the future that I started training martial arts, and it was mostly because I got jealous of Gohan getting to spend more time with dad than me. I didn't have anywhere _close_ to the "hidden potential" that my brother had, so even if I had Saiyan blood flowing through me – as obviously demonstrated by my tail that I utterly _refuse_ to amputate – I was never strong enough to get involved in any major fights. I can't even go Super Saiyan, which even Goten managed to accomplish at a young age. The bottom line is: I'm _not_ a fighter, not like all the other Saiyans around me. I enjoy a good, clean sparring match every now and then, but I've never had to _fight for my life_. Which again begs the question: if it's not power that Whis saw in me, then what? I just…

"Court? Time's running out, you know."

"Wh-What? But…?!" There was no time to think any more. I had to make my choice. After hearing Whis' words, that John kid started running away like a lunatic. Though we were on a big open field, so there weren't many places he could run to. I had to do it. I _had_ to. I raised my hand and aimed towards the running child. Energy started forming at the palm of my hand – nothing like what dad or Vegeta can do, but enough to take an average person's life. And then… I shot.

A small explosion burst where the kid was. Once the smoke cleared I saw him, lying _dead_ on the ground. I couldn't believe it; I had taken a life with my own hands. I felt… **heavy**. It was as if the weight of a thousand sins was resting on my shoulders all of a sudden, even though according to my duty I had done the right thing. I couldn't hide the sense of guilt that I felt, and Whis took notice of this. He gave me a questioning look, and yet still said…

"… Congratulations, Court. You passed the test."

"Whis, I-I… I don't know, I still have…"

"Doubt? Ohoho! Don't worry, being a God of Destruction doesn't mean that you have to be devoid of humanity!"

"I… I see…"

"I should take you to meet Sidra one of these days. I have a feeling you two will get along just fine!"

And just like that, still with a million questions racing in my head, I had been dubbed the new Goddess of Destruction of Universe 7. Ooohhh, this was going to be… a _journey_. I'm not sure if a good one or a bad one, just… _a freakin' journey_ , that's for sure.

* * *

I tried to get my head off of things by having Whis help me with the preparations of my new "job." I was given some new clothes, similar to the ones Beerus wore but a bit less revealing – they have a hole for my tail, though, that's neat. You'd be surprised at how difficult it is to get custom-made pants back on Earth, despite the fact that a large portion of the population are already animals and tail-holes should be a simple request. Whatever, I don't make things, I just destroy them now. I was also given the ability "Destruction" which, as the name implies, destroys things. Literally just point my hand at something and poof, _gone_ , doesn't matter if it's stronger than me. Maybe Vegeta would stop picking on me so much with this new power… But there was still a concern. Even after becoming a Goddess of Destruction, I still had my old not-particularly-impressive strength. The other gods have had **eons** to train and become stronger, but I'm only 22 and have been practicing martial arts for, like, what, half of that? Dude, even _Yamcha_ can keep up with me! Thankfully, Whis had a solution for that problem.

"Oh, one more thing, Master Court."

"… Please don't call me 'Master,' it feels weird…"

"Sure thing, Master!"

"…" Heeeee's gonna be _that_ guy, oh boy.

"Anyways, here you go." Whis handed me what appeared to be a sword of some description. Once I held it in my hands, I felt a strange energy emanating from it.

"This isn't any ordinary sword, is it…?"

"It's called 'the Mediator.' It has the power to equalize the power of everyone within a large area. If you ever have to face someone considerably stronger than you, this will bring their power down and yours up to where there will be no difference in strength. At that point, it'll be a battle of wits more than anything."

"But… can't I just use Destruction on them?"

"My, you're never going to become a better fighter if you always seek the easy way out. Besides, I have a feeling you're not going to end up destroying everyone you come across."

"Wow… So, does this mean I can stand on equal grounds as you, Whis?"

"Nope! Doesn't work on us Angels. Sorry, dear."

"Figures… But will this let me kick Vegeta's ass when he starts getting annoying?"

"Absolutely!"

"That's good enough for me!" If you couldn't tell already, I _don't_ like Vegeta. He's gotten on my nerves more times than I'm physically able to count. You know, that's _besides_ the whole tried-to-kill-my-dad-and-brother-on-several-occasions fiasco. "Anyways, so… What now?"

"It's up to you. Here's a map of the entire universe." Whis used his staff to project a hologram of the universe, and it had _thousands_ of little dots which were all either planets or stars. Some of the planets (" _some_ " still being thousands) were color-coded to symbolize that there was life in them. "Ideally, we should visit every single one of those planets periodically to determine what kind of moral ranking they have, then you'll need to choose whether the planet needs to be destroyed or not."

"Wait, **all** of these planets have to be checked?! _Periodically?!_ How long is _that_ going to take?!"

"Depends on how active you want to be. It's not like it matters, anyways. You're immortal now, so we have _all_ the time in the multiverse to do it."

"Oh… Good… I think…?"

"Unless the Grand Zeno decides to erase this universe."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

… I think I actually understood what he said, but part of me thinks Whis is just trying to prevent me from slacking off like Beerus did in his own weird, demented fashion. I may technically be his boss now, but I'm not messing with that guy any more than necessary…

* * *

Seeing as I had a _busy_ schedule ahead of me (you ever heard of understatements?), I thought it'd be best to spend at least one day back on Earth with my family and friends before starting this arduous journey. But I preemptively knew that people weren't going to be able to treat me the same, no matter how much I tried to act like I was still the same ol' Court they grew up with. _Especially_ mom, she was going to say stuff like…

"YOU'RE GOING TO BECOME A **MASS MURDERER?!** "

"M-Mom! Listen, listen, it's not that, it's more like… more like… well… well, OK, yeah, it's exactly that, _but_ —"

"BUT **NOTHING!** YOUNG LADY, YOU ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM AND—"

"Mom!" This time I shouted much angrier, which unintentionally caused a gush of energy to fly out of my body, pushing mom back a few feet. You know, maybe I do underestimate my own strength some times. "… Sorry, I didn't mean to shout like that. But I need you to listen to me."

"C-Court… I just… I just…" She started crying after saying that, which made me feel even worse, but I had to compose myself.

"I'm _not_ doing this because I want to kill millions of innocents. I'm _not_ doing this to get an easy power boost. I'm not even doing this as a stress reliever. Mom, I need you to understand: I'm doing this for us; for _all_ of us." Though I still had questions as to why Whis thought I'd be worthy of becoming a Goddess of Destruction, I also saw it from my own perspective and realized that this was the best I could do to keep everyone I cared for safe. With this power, I'd be able to wipe out any threats that came to torment Earth. Or heck, even threats _within_ Earth. Really, Beerus should have been doing that already, but you know what they say: if no one's going to do it for you, you gotta do it yourself.

"B-But what about spending time with us, Court?! Your family?! Don't you want Goten to have a big sister to look up to?! I don't want my daughter to…!"

"I'm not going to disappear forever, mom. Just see it like I'm moving out into my own place with a new job! You know, like Gohan! It's just that the place is reeeeeeally far away, but hey, I'll still visit whenever I can! And…" I needed to say something else to really reassure her that everything was going to be OK. "… And this way, you won't have to be worried about dad all the time. I know he's incredibly strong and only keeps getting stronger with every fight, but he _has_ failed in the past. I… I'm going to eliminate anyone that could be a challenge for him. If I have to prevent him from growing stronger so that I can make sure to never lose him again, then so be it. Even if he hates me for this, it's for his own good."

There was something else about what I said, though obviously I wasn't going to tell this to mom, that would have just made her feel even worse. But dad… well, he didn't have a _desire_ to grow stronger. No, he had an _addiction_ to it. And he was willing to put not only himself in danger, but others as well, so long as he could fight someone strong. It's because of the Saiyan blood running through his veins, the same blood that's coursing through mine. Though I guess in my case, I'm a bit more like mom in that department.

"Court… I-I understand now, but still, don't you think this is too dangerous for you? I could never bear to see my own children suffer, not like Gohan did for all those years…"

"Heh… Don't worry about that, mom! I'm still Son Goku's daughter – I'm a tough cookie! And, well, you know, I'm also immortal now. That helps." To think that Frieza went to great lengths to achieve immortality, and yet I got that power served to me on a silver platter. Oh, how times have changed…

"So… what are you going to do now, Court?"

"I was hoping to spend at least one day with you and everyone before heading out. Goten's at Capsule Corp. with Trunks, right? Let's go there first." I was probably unable to fly on the Flying Nimbus anymore; I don't think it takes too kindly to deities of genocide. But mom could still use it, thankfully, so with her on it, we both set flight towards West City. I don't know what kind of reactions I was going to get from the others, but whatever the case, I just wanted to see everyone together. Who knew how often I'd be able to do this sort of stuff again? Maybe more frequently than I thought! Or maybe _never_. Only the future held the answer…

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hey, everyone! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! This idea literally popped up in my head while I was having dinner the other day, and then the story just started flowing in my head. I wanted to write a story for Dragon Ball Super primarily because there's a lot of things about the show that left me unsatisfied, if I have to be honest. I'm not here to bash on it, but rather to make the story that I want to see. And like Court said: if no one's going to do it for you, you gotta do it yourself.

Of course, something I need to keep in mind is that this is a fan fiction. You know, _text_. Despite this being a Dragon Ball story, I'm going to keep fights on the low side, because fights are not something you want to _read_ , they're something you want to _see_ (unless you're a reeeeeeally good writer that can bring a battle to life with words, which I can't). You should expect this fan fiction to be filled primarily with character interactions and such, things that can be properly portrayed through text.

I'm not going to put an arbitrary schedule or deadlines for when to update the story with new chapters. I'll update when I _can_ , whether that be after a couple of days or after several weeks. This is just for fun, after all, so forcing myself to write something I'll be dissatisfied with would beat the purpose.

Finally, that's Court up there on the cover, in case you need a physical image of what she looks like (and since I'm no good with describing a character's appearance through text). It's just a quick drawing I put together, nothing special, but hopefully it gets the job done.


	2. Chapter 2: Power to Change the Universe

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 2: Power to Change the Universe**

West City became visible in the distance, and with it the Capsule Corp. building. Once I got close enough, I was finally able to feel the ki signature of Goten and Trunks as they were playing around in the backyard. I say this because up until now all I could feel was Vegeta powering up like his life depended on it in the gravity room. He's only ever doing that or "sparring" (I use that term loosely) with dad. I'm honestly not sure how Bulma has managed to sustain a relationship with him, but whatever, I know not to mind other people's businesses. Goten and Trunks start calling for us once they notice us approaching.

"Mooom! Siiiiis! Over here!" That Goten is the spitting image of my dad. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that he was born to take my dad's place!

"Goten! C'mere, lil' bro!" I gave him a big, tight hug as I usually do.

"Hey, Court! What's up with those clothes?" Trunks proceeded to ask. "They kind of look like the ones that cat god guy wears."

"Oh, you're right! Wait, sis, does that mean… you passed?"

"Yup! It was… easy! F-For the most part… heh…" I _still_ can't shake the feeling of guilt off my shoulders. I don't think I ever will. I'll just have to do my best to hide it.

"O-Oh… So now you're…" Oh, please Goten, not _you_ , too! I already had to deal with this with mom…

"You can blow stuff up now?! **That's awesome**! I wanna be a god, too!" Rash as it may have been, I appreciated Trunks' interruption to break the awkward silence.

"Trunks! That is not something you should aspire to be!" Mom to the rescue. "Your mother has ensured that you receive the best possible education so that you grow up to be a proud successor of Capsule Corp."

"Awww, but I wanna—"

"Chi-Chi is right, Trunks!" Bulma's here now. "Besides, there can only be one God of Destruction, and I have a feeling Court here will manage herself just fine for _many_ years to come." She gave me a welcoming smile while saying this, like a smooth, silent transition into a hello.

"It's good to see you, Bulma." Already I could tell that Bulma was understanding of my decision. Being a genius scientist, I think she was able to see things from my perspective without letting emotions cloud her judgment. That, and this meant that Beerus wouldn't come to annoy her anymore. If anything, I did her a favor.

We spent some time in Capsule Corp., meeting up with Bulma's parents, both of which had a similar reaction to Bulma. Some of the employees in the building greeted me with the same politeness they always did, while others were practically trembling with fear. Either way, we were having a great time! Goten was playing with my tail as usual, which the fact that he was playing with me at all meant that he wasn't scared of me! It's unfortunate that he got his tail cut off as an infant, but I guess the risk of him turning into a Great Ape was too dangerous. Personally, I've never turned into one, which is simply avoided by going to bed early on full moon nights. The down side is that I've never seen the full moon outside of TV and books. But rather than going with the _disturbing_ route of amputating myself, Bulma promised me that some day she would invent some kind of device that would allow me to see the moon in its full beauty _without_ getting into some bad " _monkey business_." The other Briefs were also a fascinating bunch to talk to, what with their extensive knowledge on scientific research. This is the kind of stuff that would bore my dad to death, but Gohan and I loved it! Speaking of which, that was where our next destination was; Satan City, home of the "almighty" Hercule Satan, but more importantly, my brother and his wife, Videl. As much fun as I was having at Capsule Corp., though, I didn't want to be there too long, otherwise a certain someone might show u—

"Well, well. If it isn't Kakarot's female _brat_." Damn it, spoke too soon…

"… Nice to see you too, _Vegeta_." Just seeing that arrogant face of his made my blood boil. What kind of insults was he going to throw at me _this_ time?

"I see you've gotten yourself a cheap ticket to power boost land. And you call yourself a Saiyan warrior! _Pathetic_."

"No, I _don't_ call myself a Saiyan warrior. Unlike you, my entire life _doesn't_ revolve around my race and its stereotypes." Vegeta was always going on about Saiyan pride, Saiyan warriors, Saiyan power, blah blah Saiyan blah blah. What kind of prince was he supposed to be, giving his people a bad image?! I mean, yeah, they're all dead now, but still… I refused to believe that an **entire race** of living creatures lived _only_ and _exclusively_ to be violent. Even if me and my brothers were hybrids, we still managed to see much further than just fighting and getting stronger. There must have been some Saiyans that cared more for other things in life. Again, it just didn't make sense for an entire race to - not survive - _thrive_ by being so one-dimensional. But that is how it was, at least according to _this_ … _**piece of**_ …!

"I should be grateful, though! With Beerus out of the picture, only that _clown_ of your father remains as the single obstacle between me and my rightful spot as the most powerful warrior in the universe!"

"Vegeta! Watch what you're saying!" Bulma tried to defend me, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to stop that trash compactor from spitting more garbage.

"Hey, it's not like Beerus is dead, you know! He's just sleeping… for… for probably half a century, but that's not the poi—"

"And what's he gonna do when he wakes up, huh? Grab a glass of milk and go back to sleep? If he's not the God of Destruction anymore, then what does it matter?"

"… You're right, he's _not_ the God of Destruction…" I gazed furiously at Vegeta, my eyes shooting daggers at his aggravating smirk. "… _I am_." I lifted my arm towards him in the same way Beerus would when he was going to destroy something. Everyone around me gasped in shock… except my target. Even if he knew full well the power that I possessed, that brute _refused_ to change his daring smirk, almost _inviting_ me to destroy him.

"Go on. _Do it_. I promise I won't move!" He was just standing there, teasing me with his very _existence_. I had him _right_ where I wanted. All I had to do was say the words and I would rid the world from that **plague**. It was so _easy_ … And yet… I couldn't do it.

"… We're leaving." I turned around with my head down. I needed to get out of that place ASAP.

"Heh… _Weak._ "

Even though I **loathed** Vegeta with every fiber of my being, even though I **longed** for the day to see him curl into a ball from defeat, I simply couldn't bring myself to kill him. Not so much for him, but for his family. Just because _**I**_ hated him doesn't mean that I had the right to take him away from Bulma and Trunks. After all, he was both a father and a husband… s-somehow. Whatever, I needed to stop thinking about him. I flew in the direction of Satan City, with Goten and mom following right behind. But I still made sure to fly ahead of them; I didn't want them to see the tears flowing down my face.

* * *

Whoever came up with this flying ability needed a box of chocolates delivered to their door on a daily basis; we were already in Satan City! It would have taken us _hours_ , _**days even**_ in standard vehicles. No matter which part of the city you come in from, the first thing you'll always see is a billboard of Mr. Satan with the word "WELCOME" on it. Even if he "saved" the world, I think it was still kind of narcissistic of Hercule to accept the city to be renamed after him. Then again, it's not as bad as Vegeta having an entire _planet_ named after hi— **NO.** STOP. THINKING. OF. THAT. MORON. COURT. _GOD._ We were here to meet with Gohan and Videl. _Not_ to get grumpy. _Ughh_ …

"That's big brother's house, isn't it? It's huge! Mom, why don't we move in with them?" Goten was just as excited to see Gohan as I was. Or well, his house at least. Truth be told, our house back in Mt. Paozu was really humble, especially considering it was home to the man who saved the world on more than one occasion _and_ the daughter of the mighty Ox King.

"You know, mom, Goten has a point. Not to mention, you're going to be a grandma soon. Wouldn't you want to be close to your granddaughter at all times? I'm sure Gohan, Videl, or even Hercule could help you find a place to live around here."

"I've told you all already, our house back at Mt. Paozu is a gift from your grandfather _and_ it also holds many fond memories I've formed with you and your father. Besides, that Piccolo freak hangs around here often, as well as Buu… _Eugh_ , just thinking about him gives me the _creeps_! But I _am_ excited to become a grandmother, though! Oohh, how my sweet Gohan has grown…!"

"Yeah, and you've gotten older!" Goten, do you want to get smacked? Because that's how you get sma— " **OW**!" Told you.

Thankfully it was a Sunday, so Gohan shouldn't have been at work that day. And indeed, once we knocked on the door, he was the one to open it. Now that he was a scholar, husband, and soon-to-be-father, he had a much more professional air about him. By which I mean, he no longer looked like one of the strongest people on the planet, possibly the entire universe, but probably the only one upset about that would be dad.

"Oh, Court! It's nice to see you!"

"Nice to see you too, Gohan!"

"And mom, and Goten! Come on in, everybody!"

Once inside, we were also greeted by Videl and Hercule. Videl was cooking something, so naturally my mom's instincts kicked in and she went to help her out, with Goten following suit. That left Gohan, Hercule, and me at the living room.

"Hey, Court, those clothes…"

"Yup, it's exactly what you're thinking."

"I see… Well, congratulations!" I think there was a slight hint of discomfort in Gohan's voice, but he did the best he could to hide it. He was smart, and we'd been together for years, so I knew he understood things from my perspective. Still, I feel like a private conversation could help clear things up further. I wanted everyone to accept my decision to become a Goddess of Destruction, but a simple "please understand!" wouldn't be enough.

"Well, I'll be! I would'a thunk you'd end up doing somethin' like Gohan here, Court, but this's certainly a surprise!" I think Hercule was happy with me. I wanted to think that it was because he legitimately understood where I was coming from and supported me, but let's face it, it's probably because he was more scared of Beerus than me. Then again, he had a _gift_ for cheating death, so either way I don't think he had anything to worry about.

We continued a pretty basic conversation, with me explaining how the test went (without mentioning the climax), while Gohan talked about his future plans with his wife and daughter. Videl chimed in on a few occasions but still primarily focused on the kitchen. After a while, however, Gohan approached me with a more serious expression.

"Court, umm… Can I speak with you outside for a second?"

"Oh? Eh, sure." We stepped outside onto the balcony, which had a nice view of the city. Maybe Gohan chose this spot because it felt peaceful, and we both needed to be level-headed for the conversation we were about to have.

"So… It probably sounds a lot more menacing than it truly is, but I have to know: what exactly _is_ the job of a God of Destruction?"

"Hmm… Well, I'm supposed to work alongside the Supreme Kai to keep a 'balance' in the universe. Essentially it boils down to having to visit different planets and determining if their 'moral ranking' is high enough. If it's not, I…"

"You… have to destroy the planet…"

"Eehh… y-yes…" I wasn't even going to _try_ to sugarcoat it. Genocide isn't really something you can undermine (unless you're Frieza, of course).

"And… that's it, right? No buts, no maybes, it's just a life or death decision."

"That's how 'the best' Gods of Destruction handle it, at least. As strong and menacing as he is, I'm starting to understand that Beerus wasn't very good at his job precisely because he was lazy and left things half done. If I do a better job than him, then it'll ultimately be better for the universe as a whole."

"OK… So…! So my main question is: will you ever have to destroy Earth?"

"T-That's…" The thought had crossed my mind, but I didn't want to think about it too hard. But now that Gohan was asking me directly, I couldn't avoid the question anymore. "I… I… _sincerely_ hope not…"

"That's… _not_ the answer I was expecting…" Please, Gohan, don't make this any harder than it needs to be… Maybe it was time to switch from emotions to facts.

"Aahh… OK, OK, listen: I won't _ever_ have to do anything like that as long as the Earth remains calm. If any outer threats come – which is usually the case – that won't be the Earth's fault, so everyone will be safe. Any threats _within_ Earth, they'll have to be eliminated quickly. Thanks to my new powers, I can easily dispose of any _single_ enemy that puts the planet in peril. But there's more complex issues happening across the world, like organized crime and corrupt politics. Those, unfortunately, I don't have much control over." That was probably _not_ the best way to end that, I have to admit.

"Then…" I could tell Gohan was deep in thought. "… Then let _me_ take care of that."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"As a respected scholar, I may be able to influence important corporations and gain information on any suspicious activity they engage in. And…"

"… And…?"

"I… still have my Great Saiyaman suit in there."

"… _PFFFT_ — **HAHAHA**!" OK, _that_ caught me off guard. How could anyone forget about the guardian of the city, **the Great Saiyaman**? Look, I know why he said it, but I still couldn't help but laugh like a maniac! "Aahhhhh… Gohan, I love you."

"Hehe, I love you too, sis."

It started off really awkward, but I'm still glad we had that conversation. I know Gohan trusted me from the get-go, but now that he understood what was going through my head better, he felt at peace. He was going to do everything in his power to make the world a better place for his family, just like I was. We just had different approaches, that's all!

Once we came back into the house, mom and Videl had already finished cooking, so we started eating. Even if we were half-breeds, there were still three Saiyans in that room, so the amount of food was **colossal**. And by the time we were done, not a single crumb remained on the table. The sun was starting to go down, so it was time for us to head back home. We said our goodbyes and I gave Videl my best wishes with the baby. Just like Hercule, she seemed fine with me being a Goddess of Destruction, though I think she was holding her judgment until after she talked with Gohan. I'm sure he'd put in a good word for me – after all, he was the best big brother anyone could ever ask for.

* * *

I think dad had been out training somewhere all day. When we were traveling from West City to Satan City, I did feel his energy way in the distance, so he was probably somewhere in the arctic. That was not really a place of a heart-warming (emphasis on the _warming_ ) reunion, so I had hoped that he'd be back home by the time we returned. And to my pleasant surprise, I was right! He was outside the house chopping wood (with his bare hands), then stopped when he noticed us coming down.

"Oh hey, guys, you're back!"

"Daddy!" Goten was the first to rush to him so he could get a hug.

"Hey there, squirt! Did you have fun today?"

"Yup! We went all over the place, it was awesome! And look, Court is all godly and stuff now!"

"Huh? Oh, Court, those clothes… How come they look like Beerus'?" … I guess dad was the first one to _not_ connect the dots.

"I got these because I passed the test, dad! I've taken over Beerus' place as the new Goddess of Destruction."

" _Whoa_ , you did?!" It's like he forgot all about it… "Soooo, does that mean you're as strong as Beerus now?"

"What— **no**! No, no, I'm still the same as before. I'm nowhere near his or _your_ level."

"Aww, come on, there must have been _some_ kind of power boost, right?" Was he…? He wasn't planning on doing what I was thinking, was he?

"No, not… not really. I-I mean, I _guess_ I got a thing or two to help me out, but it's really nothing—" _Bad_ choice of words, me.

"Aha! Come on, Court, I wanna see how strong you are now!"

"What…?! Dad, no, wait, I'm serious, I'm _really_ not—!" Before I could finish my sentence, dad was already charging at me at high speed. I had to do something _quick_. Almost on instinct, I reached into the sheath on my hips and invoked the power of the sword – " **Mediator!** "

A large wave of semi-transparent energy radiated from the Mediator when I called it. Suddenly, I felt my reflexes sharpen as if I'd gone into an extreme adrenaline rush. My dad's charge went from looking like a speeding bullet to a walking turtle, and I don't think it was just because _I_ got faster – I think _he_ also got slower. This sudden shift in speed threw him off balance, and even though I didn't _want_ to fight, this was also the perfect chance to _really_ stop him from even _trying_. I replied to his charge with one of my own. Before I knew it, I was already right in front of him. _This_ was the power of the Mediator, it was unbelievable! But I wasn't going to get a chance to truly get used to such a massive shift in power, so I had to act quickly. I used my free hand to deliver a devastating blow to my dad's gut, sending him flying across the sky. Once he fell back down, he was gasping for air. Never in a million years did I think that I'd be able to do that much damage to my dad in a single attack, but here I was. And it felt… not very satisfying at all, honestly. I felt really guilty after hurting dad so much, but that whole scene flashed by in like a _second_ , I didn't have time to think!

" _ **UGH**_ … Whoa… That was… That was _really_ something there, Court…! But… I'm not done yet…! Let's g—"

" **GOKU!** " Mom to the rescue. Again. "IS THAT _ANY_ WAY TO TREAT YOUR OWN CHILDREN?!" And to my surprise, mom was actually holding dad back with her own hands! That's right, the Mediator affects _everyone_ within an area, not just me and my opponent. Even if she didn't realize it, at that moment, mom was probably as strong as a Super Saiyan. If she heard those specific words, she would go into a panic attack!

"Ow, _ow_! Chi-Chi?! When did _you_ get this strong, too?! Hey, what's going on around he—"

"BACK IN THE HOUSE, **NOW!** " Dad looked super confused as he was _quite literally_ being dragged into the house by mom. Once things settled down, I would take the time to explain him what happened and hopefully he wouldn't try to fight me again. _Hopefully_.

Having to "fight" dad was an unpleasant experience, but the rest of the night went by smoothly. He didn't really understand what it meant for me to become a Goddess of Destruction (and to be honest, I still didn't understand it fully myself), but he was just happy that I was happy. That was simplistic, but reassuring – typical of dad. Though of course, I avoided all of the serious subjects that were discussed that day. I had a very unclear future that I was both scared and excited to uncover. Once everything was said and done, I went back to my room and slept as comfily as I could. This was probably the last time I'd get to enjoy this bed for a _long_ time.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hey, everyone! I think there's something I should have made clearer earlier, but this story is set _shortly_ after the events of the Battle of Gods arc. So Goku has achieved Super Saiyan God, but that's as far as he can go right now; he hasn't received training from Whis to achieve Super Saiyan Blue. Pan is still several months away from being born. And Frieza hasn't been resurrected yet. I think that should give you a good idea of what time this is set on.

Also, I feel kind of bad that I have to point this out, but I know a lot of fan fictions revolve around romance, so: **there is** _ **no planned**_ **romance in this story** (outside of what the show has already established). When I say that Court and Vegeta hate each other, I _mean_ it. When Court says that she loves Gohan, she means it in a normal sisterly fashion, not an incestuous one. If two characters are really close to each other, they're either family or very good friends, but not lovers. While I have nothing against romance, I'm personally not a fan of it and don't see myself implementing it in my stories.

Finally, this will follow the _general idea_ of the events that have occurred in Dragon Ball Super, but it won't follow them letter by letter. There'd be no point on writing this if I was just copy-pasting Super's plot while adding "oh, and my OC was there." Expect **drastic** changes to what has happened in the show, as well as original events that will have a lasting impact in the story thereafter. Hope you're enjoying this fic so far!


	3. Chapter 3: Drowned

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 3: Drowned**

 _One day_ I would get used to intergalactic travel… but today wasn't it. Whis and I were soaring through space at impossible speeds. We were on our way to our first planet, the first time I would have to "judge" an entire population. Just the idea of it made me feel like a tyrant, but I tried to reassure myself that I would be cleansing the universe of potential threats; _if_ it came down to having to destroy the place, at least.

This was all after Whis had come to pick me up at Mt. Paozu this morning. Since there were so many planets to choose from, he made the suggestion to start with this one – Planet Lulipa. When I asked him if there was a particular reason, Whis just said "Oh, none in particular! I just thought you might like the people there." So of course there was a reason, but I wouldn't find out until I saw it with my own eyes.

We tried to get in contact with the planet to let them know that we'd be coming, but no one ever answered. And I couldn't really blame them. "Hey, we're coming to potentially annihilate everyone you've ever known and cared for, hope you don't mind!" is not the kind of phone call you want to answer.

"So, Master Court, what will you want to do when we arrive?" Again with the "master" thing, Whis…

"Umm… I was hoping _you'd_ have an idea…"

" _Me?_ Ohoho, but you're the boss here, dear! I only make suggestions every now and then."

I guess he was right. I had better start developing a sense of leadership if I was serious about keeping this position. But still, I legitimately had _no_ idea what to do… "Eh… What would Beerus do in this situation?"

"Hmm… He'd probably stare at the planet from outer space for a few seconds, then blow it up."

" _He wouldn't even come down…?!_ " OK, maybe following Beerus' tactics was a bad idea. "Let's, uhh… Let's go to the nearest capital and seek an audience with its mayor, or king, or whatever it may be."

"Very well. We'll be arriving shortly."

* * *

When Planet Lulipa finally came into view, I was surprised by how different it looked in person compared to Whis' hologram. It was green, but not a grassy green, more like a… a _yucky_ green, I guess. There also seemed to be a thick cloud of smog covering the surface. I didn't want to insult the place before even landing on it, but first impressions _are_ important. With more proximity came more detail, and this world was looking more like a planet-sized marsh the more I looked at it. The _smell_ only backed this up.

"Anyways, so, Whis, is there anything I should be aware of before we start?"

"The capital we'll be landing on is simply called 'the Core.' The population is of about 56,000. And there's a café on 6th street that has exquisite tea!" That last one was awfully specific, but Whis _was_ a bit of a cuisine enthusiast.

"… Right, so, is that all you know?"

"I know nothing else." It was the kind of sentence that tells you the opposite of what it's trying to say. Honestly, I think Whis did it on purpose…

We landed in front of a large but shady building. Looking around, there were some other smaller buildings in the distance, surrounding the area we were at. From the sky, it looked like this place was an isolated core within a city, fitting given the name. We knocked on the large, rusty, metallic doors of the building. Apparently this was the best place to find the political head of this city.

"Umm… hello? Anyone home?" After calling for someone, the doors opened slightly. A large, bulky man peeked half of his body through the open space. He looked… _mean_.

"And who're you?" His _voice_ was mean.

"U-Uhh, yes, hello, eehh… We're looking for the mayor of this city. Ooorrr the king, ooorrr, well, _someone_ that fits that role."

"You'se want'a talk with duh boss? Hah! You must think yer a big deal if yer expectin' to jus' barge in 'ere!"

"We-We're not barging in! Listen, I'm the Goddess of Destruction, and I need to talk with someone of power so that they ca—"

" **B'ahahaha!** " Aaaand now I was covered in spit. "D'aww, well I think lil' Miss God Lady should'a gone ta play to another playground."

"Look, I'm _serious_ , I need to—"

" **SCRAM!** " And with that, Mr. Grumpy Bouncer slammed the door on us (or well, mostly just me, Whis was watching from a safe distance).

"… Well, _that_ didn't go as planned. Hey, Whis, what do you prop—"

"I'm going to get some tea now. Give me a call if you need me. Ta-ta!"

"What—Wait, **Whis!** " He's gone, that bastard! _Now_ what was I supposed to do?! I was hoping that whoever was in charge would tell me about the place and maybe even give me a tour, but it never even crossed my mind that people wouldn't _believe_ that I was a Goddess of Destruction. But a quick glance in a mirror would remind me that I looked like an average Joe, _not_ arguably the most important deity in the known universe. Or, well, I don't think " _important_ " was the right word, more like… Umm… OK, "important" _was_ the right word, but I didn't want to call myself that. I might have had the title, but I certainly didn't have the _ego_ of a god.

* * *

Rather than trying to meet with "the boss" again, I decided that I would explore the rest of the city on my own. Walking around, I noticed that the people looked strangely… _familiar_. I was _sure_ I didn't know any of them, but maybe I had seen their species on that textbook Whis gave me to study for the test? I don't know, I might have just been over thinking it. They all looked kind of ogre-like in nature, though they were of all shapes and sizes. I stuck out like a sore thumb amongst them, which was clear by how many of them gave me strange looks.

I had no idea what to do at that point. Should I ask someone to tell me about the area? Would it be better to walk around and learn about the city based on pure observation? Could Whis help me out? Each of those choices had their benefits and downsides. That said, I had a feeling that Whis would only help me with _very_ specific problems, and this wasn't one of them. So I decided to ask around; maybe someone would be kind enough to help me.

I went to an area that kind of looked like a park. There was a man sitting on a bench seemingly doing nothing, so I approached him. "Hello, sir. I come from another city, so I was wondering…" He turned to look at me with a disgruntled expression, but didn't say anything. "… Ehh… Wondering if you could maybe… tell me more… about…" Having enough of my awkward rambling, the man just stood up and left.

I didn't want to reveal my identity to anyone, as one of two things would happen: either they would go into a panic, or they would think that I was joking and laugh at me. There was the possibility that I might have been taken more seriously if I _acted_ like the Goddess of Destruction I was supposed to be. That, however, involved being violent for no reason, which was _absolutely_ not my style. I simply continued to ask around to different people in hopes that one of them would have a kinder heart, but I was met with failure. Nobody wanted to help me.

Clearly that plan wasn't working, so it was time for Plan B: walk around and observe. I couldn't help but notice something that was entirely absent from an average Earthling city – smiles. Everyone had a bleak expression, which could also be said about the environment. That same _yucky_ green from earlier was present throughout the entire city, only ever contrasted by the scarce neon signs on some shops. I wanted to think that we had arrived on a day with really bad weather, but considering the entire planet looked like this from the exosphere, I was convinced that this was just what an average day looked like.

As I kept walking around, I saw people sleeping on the streets, covering themselves only with dirty scraps of paper. Others were hiding in the obscurity of some alleys, with rather shady looks about them. Not even the _children_ looked happy, instead throwing temper tantrums that their accompanying parents either ignored or replied to by yelling in almost abusive levels. I _desperately_ wanted to find at least _some_ semblance of joy in this place, because the forlorn atmosphere was starting to get to me.

After about two hours of zero progress, I had officially given up on this city, but _not_ the planet. It wouldn't be fair for me to judge an entire world based on a single area. I stumbled upon 6th street, which I remembered was the one Whis mentioned he would be waiting at. I found the café he was talking about, and indeed there he was, drinking tea alongside some other customers. Whis' colorful and fancy outfit was almost _comically_ different from the shoddy, gray clothes that everyone else was wearing.

"Well hello there, _Master_. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

"Ugh… Whis, _please_ stop calling me that… Have you just been sitting here drinking tea for like two hours?"

"Of course! Tea is best enjoyed when you drink it slowly; it calms your mind, helps relieve stress, let's you think clearer…"

"Uh-huh, sure… Anyways, can we go to a different city? I don't think I'm going to make much progress here."

"Oh my, such determination! Well, if you're so sure, then I'll transport you." Whis materialized his staff, which not even _that_ got a reaction from anyone in the café. He was still sitting very comfortably at the table, though. He tapped the thin end of the staff on the ground, which is what he always did when he used one of his weird magic tricks. And before I knew it, we were teleported out of the café.

* * *

Suddenly, we were now on a field just outside of a small town. "Hey, Whis, where is this plaaaa… Whis? **Whis?!** " Scratch that last paragraph; _**I**_ was teleported out of the café. Whis left me alone _again_! What was _wrong_ with that guy?! Now I _really_ didn't know what to do, where to go, anything!

My internal monologue was interrupted by a small bump that I felt on my tail, however. When I turned around to see what it was, I saw a ball slowly rolling away from me. Following its path with my eyes, I saw a small girl a few yards away from me. She was staring at me awkwardly, and I probably was staring back at her without meaning to. Even though she was of the same ogre-like species of everyone else on that other city, she looked even _more_ familiar than the people I was just with. Who _was_ this girl?

"Uuhh… h-hi! Umm… do you know where we are?" I was just adding to the awkward fuels with that question.

Rather than saying anything, the girl simply grabbed her ball and ran towards the town. She looked scared, and who wouldn't be when they saw someone magically appear right in front of them? I wanted to follow her, but I didn't want to seem like a stalker. Still, I had this gut feeling that I needed to do something about. So as to not appear _too_ suspicious, I took note of the general direction the girl headed towards, and I would follow that same route later after exploring a bit more of this town.

This area was considerably smaller than the city I was just at. There were only a few people roaming the streets, though they too didn't seem too happy to see me. However, while the city folk seemed confused but mostly indifferent of my presence, these town folk were… _scared_ of me. Some even hid back into their homes when I got close enough. Though with the shape some of those houses were in, I doubted that they were safer indoors than outdoors.

I don't know what I had done wrong, but I had _never_ felt this much disapproval in my life. I don't think they understood that there even was such a thing as a God of Destruction, just like humans back on Earth had no idea until Beerus showed up. Were they scared of me the same way they would be scared of any other foreigner? Part of me hoped that was it, and _not_ that there was something "special" about me.

Exploring around wasn't really getting me anywhere, so I decided to go back to my plan of following the little girl. She was probably already home, or at least I hoped. When I got to what I believe was the neighborhood that the girl headed into, I tried to look in through the windows of the houses as discreetly as possible. Eventually I saw the girl in one of the houses, and she was alongside an older lady who appeared to be her mother. I sneakily got closer to the window so that I could see what was happening, hopefully without anyone noticing me.

They were… crying. Why? Had something happened? They were just sitting around a table, not talking, not eating, just… _crying._ Upon further examination of the room, I noticed that there was some kind of small altar with dimly lit candles around it. At the center of it was a picture, so this was enough info to know that a family death had happened. That explained why they were crying, but who was the deceased? I got as close as I could to get a better image of who the victim was, and it was slowly starting to become clear. It was… Oh, no… _Ohh… Noo…_ It was that kid that Whis had summoned for the test, John Bon Bon. This was his family, and they were lamenting the disappearance of their loved one – a disappearance that _I_ was responsible for. That sense of guilt that I had been feeling since the incident became so dense that I swear I could _physically_ feel it pushing me down.

"You **freak!** " While I was defenseless from the emotional trauma, I was attacked by some of the townsfolk. Before I had a chance to react, I felt a putrid chemical covering my mouth, and I was instantly knocked unconscious.

* * *

I woke up gasping for air. Where was this…?! A swamp? A bayou? Either way, I was completely covered in muddy water, and the odor was like something I'd expect from the _underworld_. I must have been thrown into this place by those people who attacked me. They must have noticed me – a total stranger – peeking into someone's house, and they reacted accordingly. I always believed in asking questions before acting, but the people on this planet would probably disagree with me.

Suddenly, I started feeling heavy vibrations from under the water. Whatever this was, it was **much** bigger than anything you'd typically find on Earth. I started backing away, and from the spot that I was emerged a **colossal** creature! I couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be because of it being completely covered with mud and other dregs. It let out a terrifying roar before lunging its _entire body_ at me! I managed to jump out of the way just in time, but the force of the impact caused a massive wave of water, which knocked me back onto a tree. I had a headache already and this just made it worse.

If it were my dad or Vegeta, they would have stayed and fought this monster. But not me, _I_ needed to run away. And not just from the creature, but from the planet in general. I was sad, angry, _frustrated_ , _dirty_ , feeling _guilty_ , **in pain, exhausted,** _ **AAAGHH!**_ " **WHIS!** "

"You called, milady?" He appeared right beside me when I called.

"Get me **OUT OF HERE!** "

"Understood." And with a flick of his staff, we were back out on the exosphere of Planet Lulipa. Even though Whis was right next to me, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. I had gone through an exorbitant amount of stress, and my brain simply could not take it anymore.

"W-Whis… I-I…" I had to wipe my tears away with practically every word that escaped my mouth.

"Hmm… I understand that you may have had a rough first day, and it truly is unfortunate. However, have you made a decision?"

No matter how upset I was, I still had to understand that I now held the lives of _thousands_ on my fingertips. I didn't want to destroy Planet Lulipa because now I had seen firsthand the low quality of life that its inhabitants suffered, and I felt like destroying them would be putting salt on the wound. But at the same time, that was _precisely_ why I needed to destroy it. Even if not by much, their _existence_ was dragging down the quality of the universe as a whole. I could "let it slide," but I know that wouldn't be the right thing to do, not as the Goddess of Destruction. I had to put my emotions aside for this.

Wiping one more set of tears from my face, I held my hand towards Planet Lulipa. I concentrated the energy from within my body and focused it on the target. My hand began shining with a purple glow. I started slowly yet forcefully closing my fist, as if I were holding the planet in my palm. Volcanic cracks erupted from the surface as I continued to close my hand. Just at that moment, the image of John's family flashed back in my head, making the process that much more painful. But I had already started and I couldn't afford to stop. It took everything I had to bring myself to fully close my fist, which resulted in a **gargantuan** explosion of planetary debris. And because of the powers of the Destruction ability, that debris started dematerializing, making sure that not even a _trace_ of the world remained. In mere moments, Planet Lulipa and all of its inhabitants had been completely _erased_ from the universe.

"Your job here is done, Miss Court. What would you like to do next?"

"Whis… Let's go home…"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Boy, I'm in like full writer mode right now! Though it's mostly because I just started the fic this week and I have fresh ideas and enthusiasm. I'm afraid that things will eventually slow down once I have other things in my mind. I hope it'll never get to the point where the series essentially goes on hiatus, though. But I do work on other things outside of fan fiction writing, as well as having a job, so I hope you understand when my uploads slow down.

This chapter was a bit tougher to write because I needed to deliver a sense of loneliness, which means that Court had to be thinking to herself the majority of the time. This means that character conversations had to be kept to a minimum, contrasting what you've been seeing up until now. That said, I have a good idea of what this whole chapter was supposed to look like in my head, and I hope I was able to deliver that same image to you.

Lastly, I apologize if some of these chapters don't feel very Dragon Ball Super-ish. Even if this _is_ a DBS fan fic, I always like to implement elements of the _original_ Dragon Ball, which was all about adventure and discovery. There's so much that can be done with intergalactic travel, I simply had to write a few scenes like this! I promise Resurrection 'F' will come soon, but I pray you will enjoy as I explore other aspects of the Dragon Ball universe that Super chose to ignore.


	4. Chapter 4: Divine Selection

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 4: Divine Selection**

You know, _technically_ speaking, my first planetary visit was a success. After performing a thorough evaluation of the world (or well, more thorough than anything _Beerus_ ever did), I reached a conclusion and destroyed the planet in accordance to those results. But just because the _job requirements_ were satisfied didn't mean that _I_ was. There might have been nothing I could have done, though it still didn't _feel_ right. I could do better. I _should_ do better. There was nothing I could do for Planet Lulipa anymore, but this would be a learning experience that I'd retain for the rest of my life as a Goddess of Destruction.

Our next target was set. A planet called "Planet Faun," mostly composed of forests, and the two dominant species were centaur-like and – fittingly enough – faun-like in nature. Unlike the Lulipans, the Faunans _did_ know about the God of Destruction, which made it much easier to get in contact with them.

"Hey Whis, do you think the news of me replacing Beerus have spread across the universe already?"

"Hmm… Probably not. Only the planets that have a strong relationship with the Kais have gotten word of it, and Planet Faun isn't one of them. Speaking of which, I think the signal is reacting." Whis' staff was projecting a holographic screen, previously blank, but now it showed an image of a Faunan emperor… I think? Ehh, he looked important enough.

"L-L-L-LORD WHIS!" He was scared out of his skin just from seeing Whis, so I'd imagine he would darn-near faint if he saw Beerus.

"Why, hello there, _Your Majesty_ Mushoo!" Whis had a bad habit of treating every important figure he met with very **sarcastic** formality. "There's someone here that would like to talk to you." Saying this, he turned the staff in my direction.

"L-L-L-LORD B-B-BEERUS, IT I-I-IS AN H-H-HONO—AH—… Huh?"

"Umm, hello! Nice to meet you, Mister…" What was it agai— "Mister Mushoo! My name is Court, and I'm the new Goddess of Destruction. Lord Beerus retired the other day." Look, I was _trying_ to make this sound as friendly as possible, alright? I know that what I was saying contradicted that ideal, but mom always taught me to be polite with new people.

"O-Oh… I-I see. Well, that's a reli—I-I-I MEAN, IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET YOU, M-MILADY!"

"H-Hey, it's OK, I won't bite. Anyways, we were just calling to let you know that we're going to be visiting your planet today."

"T-T-TODAY?! I-I-I MEAN, OF COURSE! WE WILL PREPARE A WORTHY FEAST FOR YOUR ARRIVAL, L-LADY COURT!"

"A-A feast?" I think I started blushing a bit here. "O-Oh, wow, that's so nice of you! Uhh… Hey, Whis, how long do you think it's going to take us to get there?"

"If we leave soon, probably around an hour."

"U-UNDERSTOOD! WE SHALL WELCOME YOU WITH O-O-OPEN ARMS!"

"Alright, see you soon!" The holographic screen disappeared after that. "Agh, maaan… Are they all going to be like this? I don't want every new person I meet to treat me like I'm the Devil himself."

"Well, milady, you kind of _are_ something like that. Oooohh, just think of the horrible things you might do to me when you're angry! _Please_ have mercy, o' mighty one!"

"… Whis, we… _really_ need to work on that attitude of yours…"

* * *

As Whis predicted, we reached Planet Faun within the hour. It was a luscious landscape with trees _towering_ across the land, and it seemed like the cities were built on them rather than on the ground below. It was kind of like a tree house, but instead of a house it was an entire _civilization._ There was one tree that was considerably larger than all the rest; it almost reminded me of Turles' Tree of Might, just a lot less _daunting._ Around its trunk a spiral castle had been built, and that was our destination.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Emperor Mushoo. All of the guards and assistants around him welcomed us as well, but they were all visibly in a panic. This was such as stark contrast from Planet Lulipa that I didn't know how to reply to such an impressive welcome.

"L-LADY COURT! WE ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH GRANDIOSE **BEAUTY!** I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE US!"

"Oh gosh, I'm so flattered…! But… y-you don't have to yell, it's OK."

"OUR APOLO—I-I mean… I offer you my most sincere a-apology…" Being the Goddess of Destruction definitely contributed to the fear they had, but I think Beerus' reign of terror across the universe was also a factor. I would have to work hard to overwrite it, replacing it with an era of tranquility and understanding. Wow, some Goddess of Destruction I was…

The castle was gorgeous! The architecture, the decoration, the fashion sense of its residents, the _amazing_ view of the surrounding city, everything was a _marvel_ to look at! We were guided towards the dining room, and I was _astounded_ by the amount of food served on the table. There were _mountains_ of delectable meals, ranging from exotic meats to immaculate produce. And _all_ of this supposedly just for Whis and I. Of course there was no way we could accept all of that (not me at least, Whis might have been a different story…), but we would at least eat some of it.

"Hey, Whis, this is great and all, but… why such a big emphasis on food?"

"This is how Lord Beerus would determine the fate of a planet. If he liked the food, they'd get to live. If the food wasn't of his fancy, then that would guarantee their doom."

"… I… I think I'm starting to understand why you wanted him replaced… Anyways, let's dig in!" With just one bite, I felt like I had entered **Wonderland!** _Everything_ had _just_ the right amount of seasoning, cooked to the _perfect_ temperature. The texture was _impeccable_ , crunchy where it needed to be and smooth everywhere else. My mouth was _dancing_ , and I could tell Whis was on the same boat. "This… this is **incredible!** "

"We are content to see you satisfied, Lady Court." Good, Mushoo wasn't _screaming_ anymore.

"I… I _must_ meet the cook!"

"Eh… The… T-The cook, Your Highness…?"

"Yeah! Are they in this room?"

"A-Ahh… Err… W-Well… Uhh, you see, u-umm…"

"… What…? Is there a problem…?"

"O-O-Of course not! Of course not! T-They… Egh… R-Right this way, ma'am…" That was… _weird._ I mean, _I_ personally didn't think that was a particularly extreme request. But then again, this was a completely different planet from Earth, so maybe there were some odd cultural differences that I should have been aware of.

* * *

Mushoo and his guards guided us toward the kitchen area, located… surprisingly far from the dining room. I got that some of the people here were centaurs and probably didn't mind walking, but it still felt _odd._ The windows were starting to get smaller and scarcer as we kept going, and so was the decoration. It almost felt like we were entering the _dungeon_ area of the castle. This didn't feel right at all.

Once we finally reached the room, I was greeted by a number of employees. Compared to the Emperor and his henchmen, these people had much more "humble" clothing, though maybe " _poorer_ " might be a crueler but more accurate description. And unlike the monarchs, these employees _didn't_ shrivel up in fear upon seeing me. I approached one of them, an elderly centaur lady.

"Umm, hello! Are you the chef that made that _delicious_ feast?"

"Oh, dear, it wasn't just _me,_ it was _all_ of us in this room." I turned to look around the room and saw everyone else giving me a grateful smile. Yet, there was a hint of _woe_ in their expressions… "You must be that special guest the Emperor was going on about."

"Yes, my name is Court, and yours?"

"I'm Raish, pleased to meet you!" She extended her arm to shake hands. When I reached out, I noticed that Raish had a bleeding bruise above her elbow. It wasn't a _small_ bruise, either.

"Hey, you're bleeding…! Are you OK? What happened?"

"Oh, this?" She paused for a moment. "… It was just an accident, is all."

"I… I see…" There were some red flags being raised; something fishy was going on around here. "… Well, I just wanted to tell all of you that the food was **magnificent!** "

"Thank you, Miss Court, we're glad you liked it."

I'd noticed that Mushoo had been nervous all throughout. "W-W-Well, Lady Court, if you're done here, how about we r-return to the dining area and—"

"Hey, Emperor? Whis and I are _very_ tired from our trip here, and getting back home is going to leave us _exhausted_. You wouldn't mind if we stay here for the night, would you?"

"S-Stay the night?! O-Oh, uhh…! S-Surely you wouldn't find any comfort in _our_ measly abodes! It's nothing we can offer to s-someone of your caliber, hehe…!"

"Oh, please, your planet is _beautiful!_ I would give _anything_ to see it under the night sky!"

"A-A-Ahh… I… Ah…"

"Hmm? _Is there a problem?_ " This time I said it with more authority than last time.

" _Eek!_ **No,** no, no, it's just… It's… Ughh… W-We will prepare a room for you, milady…"

"Hehe! Thanks."

Whis whispered in my ear: "That was smooth, _Master._ "

"Thanks, _Whissy-Whissy._ " If he was going to keep calling me by uncomfortable nicknames, then we could both play that game.

* * *

I went to the bedroom that Mushoo prepared for me, but I didn't go to sleep. Instead, I waited until it was about midnight to sneak out through the window, and then began flying around the castle in search of _evidence._ I was almost certain that the monarch Faunans were up to something, but I needed to find out exactly what.

Even though saying that I wanted to see the planet under the night sky was an excuse, I must admit that it _was_ a stunning sight to behold. Because Planet Faun didn't have as much pollution as Earth, the stars in the sky were even clearer. Even though I technically saw this every time I flew through space with Whis, being able to take in the scenery more calmly was almost surreal. And thankfully the moon of this planet was about half the size of Earth's, so it didn't trigger enough of a reaction on me to transform into that supposed Great Ape. Though, I must admit, a giant monkey swinging around giant trees would have been fitting.

After a while of scanning the castle from outside through every window, I eventually managed to find the dungeon area again. The _first_ thing I saw was _exactly_ what I was looking for, though it was also something I dreaded to find. It was Raish, and she was in some kind of jail cell…! The people down here weren't just mistreated employees as I originally thought; they were **slaves!** I was about to call for Raish, but then a scrawny yet malicious-looking guard came into the cell. I flew back a bit to avoid being seen, but still close enough to watch what was happening.

"Hey, old hag, wake up!"

"Oh…? What's going on…?" I could already tell that this was gonna get bad.

"Your little 'show' today with our special guest got us into a bit of a _difficult_ situation."

"Please, I was just trying to be friendly to—"

"Shaddap!" The guard then pulled out a… a _whip!_ So _that's_ what the bruise on Raish's arm was! They had been torturing her just before we got here! Just thinking about it made my blood boil! "You know damn well the kind of punishment that awaits you!"

"N-No! I-I'm begging you! Please…!"

"Ggaaa—!" Just before the whip connected, I flew in through the window and deflected it with the Mediator. "What the hell…?!"

"… And just **what** … do you think _you're_ doing?" I looked at the guard dead in his eyes, with a face that spelled pure _doom._ I was **angry.**

The guard didn't even have a reply. He just froze in place, trying to process the fact that he had angered the _worst_ possible person he could have.

" **Answer me!** " My Saiyan half was really coming out in this scenario.

"L-L-L-LADY C-C-COURT?! WH-WHAT—B-B-BUT, I-I THOUGHT—"

"Tell me, why were you torturing these people?!"

"I-I-I-I'm just following the Emperor's orders! I-I don't know anything!"

"So Mushoo _is_ behind this… And you're OK with doing this to others?!"

Once again, the guard had no reply. He knew the kind of _scumbag_ he was, and so did I. I channeled the power of Destruction through the Mediator, and in one swift strike, I vanished him out of existence. Maybe I was getting more used to this Goddess of Destruction business, because I felt absolutely _no_ hesitation with that kill. But again, us gods weren't necessarily heartless.

"Hey Raish, are you OK?"

"Oh…! Thank you so much, Miss Court! I-I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come to save me…"

"Hey, don't mention it! I can't stand around when there's people who need help. Speaking of which, let's get everyone else out of here!"

One by one, I unlocked all the cells that were keeping the slaves captive. There were people of all ages, genders, fauns and centaurs, man…! Was the majority of the city's population here?! In just a short while, _hundreds_ of enslaved Faunans had been freed, almost forming an army behind me.

"Lady Court, thank you so much! How could we ever repay you?"

"Thanks, but let's save this convo for when I'm _actually_ done. You guys go back to the city. There's a certain emperor that I need to pay a visit…"

* * *

I was certain that I had caused enough of a commotion to wake Mushoo and his guards up. I ran up the stairs and through the different hallways towards the top part of the castle, which is where they were. Once I reached a big open room that connected to several different hallways, I saw that the path towards Mushoo's room was blocked by an army of guards! It didn't really matter, though, because Mushoo himself was with them. He walked forward through the guards with an angry expression, thinking that the culprit would have been some common bandit. Once he saw that it was _me_ instead, his face shifted into one of complete horror.

" **GAAAAHH!** L-L-LADY COURT?! W-WHAT IS…?!"

" **Mushoo!** I knew you were up to something; you've been keeping the townspeople enslaved in your castle! Why?!"

"Aighgh—Uhh…! B-Because… T-They're just inferior _commoners!_ They were _born_ to serve us people of power! Wouldn't you agree, o' Magnificent Goddess?"

"Is that really what you think…?! Mushoo, you make me _sick._ These people aren't below you **or** me. They all have lives ahead of them, families to love, friends to cherish…! You would _dare_ to take that away from them?!"

"Gghh…! GUARDS! GET HER!" That was a desperate move, but then again, I wasn't expecting to get out of here without a fight.

Mushoo's entire guard squadron charged at me, which looked intimidating, yes, but my adrenaline was racing too much to care. Activating the Mediator's powers in here would have put me in a huge disadvantage, so instead I used it as if it were a regular sword. Even if I wasn't nearly as strong as dad, I was confident that I could overpower every guard in this room _individually._ But to take them out _all_ together, I would need more than raw strength.

I started charging up a ki blast as the guards started surrounding me, making sure that I had no means of escape. _That's exactly what I wanted._ When they all came to me at once, I shot the ki blast directly towards the ground below me, causing a massive explosion that knocked away dozens of knights and boosted me towards the air. I could fly a lot faster than they could run, so I pretended to be falling at one corner of the room, luring them all there. Once I got low enough, I boosted towards the knights in the back of the swarm, catching them off guard and taking several of them out with a series of quick slashes. There were still _a lot_ of them, though. I needed something **drastic.**

Looking up at the ceiling, I noticed a giant chandelier that illuminated the massive room we were at. One more time, I lured all the knights towards the center of the room, then quickly flew above the chandelier. With all of them directly below me, I cut off the chains that were keeping it on the ceiling. The impact was _tremendous;_ not only did it take out the majority of the guards, but it also broke straight through the ground and onto the floors below! With this, only a few knights remained to guard Mushoo, which I defeated with ease. I had the emperor backed against a wall, with my blade mere inches from his nose.

"This is as far as you go, Mushoo!"

"GGHH…! P-PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!"

"Oh, Master Court?" Whis came into the scene nonchalantly, ignoring the giant hole on the ground and the dozens of downed knights scattered all around. "I've received word that there are other slave facilities across the world. It seems that it's some kind of network between the monarchs."

" **What?!** That's horrible! Then…"

"A-Are… Are you going to destroy… o-our planet…?!" Mushoo didn't even have the energy to scream anymore.

"… No." This reply surprised the emperor, but I still held a steady grip on my blade. "Planet Faun is a beautiful world, and the people that thrive on it only want the best for their home and each other. The only problem here… _is you._ "

Just like earlier when I rescued Raish, I channeled the power of Destruction into the Mediator and _stabbed_ Emperor Mushoo through the chest. Despite the severity of the injury, there was no blood. Instead, Mushoo started vanishing from the wound out onto the rest of his body, and within seconds, the cruel emperor was no more.

"What is your next plan, Lady Court?"

"We're going to go to every kingdom on this planet and free their citizens."

"Are you sure? Simply destroying the planet would be a lot less time consuming."

"But it's not fair for _everyone_ to pay for the sins of a _few!_ It's my job to make the universe a better place to live, and right now, I think _this_ is the most appropriate method. I'm not just a goddess… I'm a person, too."

* * *

Over the course of a week, Whis and I went to every kingdom on Planet Faun and ended their reign of tyranny. In almost every encounter, we had to fight our way through hordes of guards… Or, well, _I_ did, Whis just kind of stood back and would only interfere if the situation got dire. On one hand, it pissed me off that he wouldn't contribute, but I think this was his way of training me. He was, after all, more of a _mentor_ than a battle partner.

After freeing the last kingdom, we returned back to Mushoo's place, where Raish and the other Faunans had already made substantial progress on rebuilding the castle into part of the city. Using its supplies, the citizens could live in better homes with easier access to food and other utilities.

"Raish!"

"Lady Court! You've returned!"

"I see things are coming along nicely. On our end, we just freed the last kingdom southwest of here, so now _everyone_ on the planet is safe!"

"Oh, _goodness…!_ Lady Court, you truly are our savior!"

"D'oohh, it was nothing, hehe… Buuut, anyhow, I'm afraid I can't stay here much longer. There are _thousands_ of other planets that I still need to visit."

"I see, we understand. I trust that you will visit us again in the future, yes?"

"Hmm…" Whis seemed to have an idea. "We may not be able to come back for several _hundreds_ of years, I'm afraid. However, I can let you have _this._ " Using his staff, Whis created some sort of communication device that projected a hologram similar to the one he often used. "You may give us a call if the need arises."

"Ah, of course! We appreciate it."

"Well, we must be on our way now. Shall we, Lady Court?"

"Yeah. Take care, everyone!" And with a flick of his staff, Whis and I were once again traveling across space. "Heh… That was nice of you, Whis."

"I am merely doing what is in your best interest, _Master._ "

"Gahh… I guess _some_ things will never change…"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Fun fact: I had no idea what a "faun" was until I typed it in, then was surprised when Microsoft Word _didn't_ give me the red underline for when you make a typo. The "Faun" part was just supposed to be a pun on "fauna," but it worked out in the end.

I've also been debating whether I should keep this fan fic on the Dragon Ball Super section or if I should move it to the Dragon Ball _Z_ section. The main reason is because the DBZ section on this site gets _a hell of a lot_ more traffic than the DBS section, and there's some Super fan fics that are already on DBZ instead of DBS. _But,_ this does follow the DBS timeline, has DBS characters, and currently DBS is the hot thing in the Dragon Ball community as a whole. Maybe as Super continues and people want to ship the Universe 6 Saiyans more, they'll have more reasons to come visit this section of the site, and hopefully stumble across this fan fic.


	5. Chapter 5: Grade A-pe

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 5: Grade A-pe**

It's been one year already… Man, time flies. I have been traveling across the universe as its Goddess of Destruction for a full cycle of the seasons. Though, I guess that cycle only applies to Earth, since every planet has different seasonal patterns. In fact, every planet is _different._ No matter what corner of the universe you visit, you're always guaranteed to find something new. It may not always be pleasant – heck, it may not always be _safe_ – but that's what makes a universe… well, _a universe._

Even working as hard as we have, Whis and I have only visited about 50 planets in 365 days. If it were _Beerus_ working this hard, I'm sure that number would be on the **hundreds.** But well, that's exactly why I'm here, because Beerus _didn't_ work that hard. He's still asleep back in our home, that lazy bum! Then again, I'm kind of glad I've been thrust into this life.

I've met so many people, whacky and memorable characters that I would never even _dream_ of if I had stayed on Mt. Paozu. I've learned so much about the universe, and yet it's not even a _pinch_ of all the secrets that lie ahead. And I've gotten _much_ stronger, but not from some arbitrary training regime. I've had to fight my way through armies and face off against impossible odds in battle, but I always manage to come through in the end – thanks to cunning more than anything. And I always try my best, not because _I_ want to get stronger, but because I'm fighting for _others._ I love this universe, and I will do anything I can to make it better.

Heh, I've actually earned myself a nickname! " **The Judge of Salvation.** " As if "Goddess of Destruction" wasn't flashy enough already! Geez, why can't anyone just call me "Court?" I appreciate the love, but it's still so embarrassing to be called something so _grandiose._ Not to mention, I only feel like the title fits me _some times._

Some planets have been very cooperative, and they "pass the test" with flying colors. Others may be victims to oppression or some other catastrophe; _those_ are the ones where we'll stay days, sometimes even _weeks_ helping the residents overcome their quandary. And some planets… well, some planets are simply _irredeemable._ Even in those planets, there's always at least a hint of benevolence. It may not be enough to save them, but I've made a promise to carry their light with me.

And when you do all of this for a living… boy, is it _stressful!_ I needed a break, _bad._ So Whis and I decided to take a week-long vacation back on Earth. I was _dying_ to see my family again, especially Gohan since he was a father now! I was so proud of my big brother, and I hoped he was proud of me as well. As for Whis, weeeell… Iunno. He was probably just going to spend the entire week trying different dishes across the globe or something. Either way, what was important now was meeting up with Gohan again.

* * *

"Gohan!" As soon as my brother opened the door, I gave him a tight hug. It must have startled him, but he started hugging me back soon after. "I've missed you so much…! Oh, and congratulations!"

"Thanks, Court! It's good to see you again!"

"Welcome back, Court!" Videl also gave me a warm welcome. "We heard from Dende that you'd be coming to visit, so we made something special for you."

"Thanks, Videl, I appreciate it. But first… would it be possible to see my niece?"

"Hmm-hmm, of course. She's upstairs with Piccolo."

Just like Videl said, my niece Pan was sleeping in a cradle with Piccolo meditating right next to her. His unflinching silence was a way of acknowledging my presence, his way of saying "welcome back." Piccolo was a man of few words. I approached the cradle quietly to get a closer look at Pan. She was _adorable!_ I had to stop myself from audibly saying "aww" to avoid waking her up. Her face was all bubbly, and her hair was tied in a cute little ponytail, and… wow, she even kept her _actual_ tail! Gohan must have convinced Videl that the tail was OK, seeing as I never had any problems with mine. It came in handy a lot when I _literally_ had my hands full.

We left the room to let Pan and Piccolo sleep, then proceeded downstairs to the dining area. **Mountains** of food awaited us! This is something that about half of the planets we visited welcomed us with, so the novelty was starting to wear off, but it was still a heart-warming (and tummy-filling) surprise.

"Oh my gosh, Videl, this is delicious! Did you make all of this by yourself?!"

"Thanks! And yeah, I did! I've developed a lot of skills in the kitchen ever since I became a mother."

"You were already an expert before that, sweetie."

"Thank you, Gohan!"

I was happy to see my brother and his wife living together as a happy couple. Still, it must have been difficult with Gohan having to devote so much time for work. "So tell me, how have things been for you two?"

"Well sis, you remember what I said to you last time? I've successfully formed a Great Saiyaman network across the globe!"

"Whoa, really?! How's _that_ work?"

"I've personally met with several experts in different fields all across the globe. We've got crime-fighters, doctors, scientists, you name it! Our mission is to maintain peace and prosperity in all the nations of the world, keeping organized crime and corruption in check."

"That sounds awesome, Gohan!"

"We've even got some of our friends helping out! Tien, Yamcha, the Briefs, and Launch, just to name a few. Though, the only thing I _couldn't_ do was get them to wear the official uniforms…"

"O-Oh, haha! Don't worry bro, I'm sure they appreciated it nonetheless." Gohan, we all loved you, even with your horrendous fashion sense.

"But hey, enough about us. How about you, Court? What are your plans for this week?"

"Well, I'm going to be staying at mom and dad's place back at Mt. Paozu, but I wanted to get them a gift before arriving. That's the other reason I wanted this to be my first stop – do you know where I can find a gift for mom?"

"Oh, I can help you with that." Videl spoke up. "I know of this jewelry store that sells _gorgeous_ necklaces!"

"Yeah, that sounds great! Thanks, Videl!"

"And what are you getting for dad?"

"Oh, I've already got his gift." I pulled out a dyno capsule from my pocket. "There's food from all kinds of places across the universe here. He'll probably finish it all in five minutes, but trust me, it'll be the _best_ five minutes of his _life._ "

* * *

I flew towards our house at Mt. Paozu with a small gift box in my hands. Videl helped me find the perfect necklace for mom! It was expensive, but nothing Whis' money-materializing magic couldn't handle. I'm glad he created some cash before we separated…

"Court! Oh my gosh, you're back!"

"Sis is back?! Oh, she is! Daaaaddyyyyy!" Goten ran back in the house to get dad, so in the mean time, I met up with mom outside.

"Mom!" Just like with Gohan, I gave my mom a tight hug, and she did to me as well. Though _unlike_ Gohan, she started crying of joy.

"Ohh, my sweet daughter…! Not a day goes by without me thinking about you…!"

"Oh hey, Court!"

"Hey, dad!"

"Wow, you look a lot stronger now!"

" **GOKU!** DON'T EVEN _THINK_ ABOUT IT!" Mom to the rescue. Yup, she still had it.

The house looked the same as it did a year ago, maybe just a _tad_ bit messier now that I wasn't around to help mom with the chores. Though, she was still managing herself well enough. Mom and dad also seemed like they hadn't changed much. I mean, dad's ki felt stronger, but the man basically trained at every moment that he wasn't being monitored by mom. Goten had grown a bit, but he was still a kid, just as playful as ever. I pulled out the dyno capsule that contained all that food that I mentioned earlier, and then saw as dad's eyes practically _ignited_ with amazement. We all ate from it, but naturally the full-blooded Saiyan in the room devoured with the most fervor.

Once everything was said and done, everyone returned to their rooms. I was surprised to see that my room was still just as I had left it a year ago. Mom must have made sure that it remained clean for when I eventually returned. She was definitely an… _eccentric_ person, but I had no doubt in my mind that I had the best mom in the world. I tucked myself under the bed sheets and let the beautiful stars and moon in the night sky send me to a deep slumber.

* * *

Hnngh… Sleep… Stars… Moon… Full… moon…? Hmm…? Wait a… minute…

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" _Mom?!_

"GAH! What happened?!"

"Whoa, sis?! Is that you?!"

"Goten?! Why are you so small?! Why am _I_ so high up?!"

"Cause you're a giant monkey, silly!"

"What do you mean I'm a giant mon—OH GOD, I'M A GIANT MONKEY!"

"This is most peculiar."

" _Whis?!_ "

"Oh hey, Whis! Can you train me?"

"Goku, I'm afraid there are more pressing issues at hand."

"What the— _ **What is going on?!**_ "

"I'm as baffled as you are, Master." He didn't look like it… "I was under the impression that Saiyans would lose all sense of reason upon transforming into a Great Ape. But you seem to be doing just fine, Lady Court."

"Huh…?" I checked myself and I was _indeed_ a Great Ape. My body was almost entirely covered in fur, my voice sounded like that of a terrifying monster, and of course, I was **gigantic.** But my _mind_ felt the same. I'd heard people mention that Gohan went completely berserk when he transformed in a few occasions back when he was a kid, yet all I felt at the moment was confusion because everything was happening so suddenly (which I'm pretty sure I would have felt in my normal form just the same).

"Well, actually, I remember Gohan sort of managed to control himself a few times, particularly with Turles. And Vegeta was just the same as Court is now." I guess dad was actually there for those fights, he _would_ know better than the "all-knowing" Whis.

"I see! Then perhaps the reason Lady Court is _not_ out of control is because her mental capabilities have fully developed. She is a _very_ intelligent damsel, I'll have you know."

"D'aww, thanks!"

"I never thought I'd see a giant monkey _blushing…_ " Goten was very nonchalant about the situation.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT! HOW DO I GET MY DAUGHTER BACK TO NORMAL?!" Mom, however, was not.

"Well, there are two solutions: we can either cut her tail off—"

" **NO.** " _Do not even_ _ **joke**_ _about that, Whis._

"… Oooor, we can destroy the moon."

"No! We don't need to go _that_ far! Look, how about we just _wait_ until it's morning again. I'll just find a cave to pass the night, and I should be back to normal in a few hours."

"I suppose that is the least extreme alternative. Hmm?" Whis took a look at his staff. "It appears that your niece has also transformed, Lady Court."

"Wait, _Pan did?!_ Oh no, I've gotta go help them!"

"Hey sis, can I come, too?"

"Absolutely _not,_ young man! It is _way_ past your bedtime right now! Go back to your room!"

"Aww, but moooom, Court already destroyed half the house, my room included!"

"No she didn't." With a flick of his staff, Whis returned the house back to normal. Whis to the rescue…?

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"There's no time to waste! Let's go, Whis!" Luckily, I could still fly in this form. Whis and I made haste towards Satan City.

* * *

I couldn't help but imagine the newspapers for the next day plastered with " _Flying King Kong_ " on the covers. For all the fuss that was made to prevent me from looking at the full moon through all those years, this was honestly not too bad. It just made me feel that much worse for my poor brother and Trunks that got their tails cut off for no reason. Maybe to the amputa _tors_ it didn't seem so bad, but to the ampu _tees_ it was like getting an arm or a leg chopped off! What is _wrong_ with people?!

As we approached Satan City, I saw Pan in the distance where Gohan's house was, already transformed! Though she _wasn't_ wrecking havoc in a complete state of rage, no, she was… she was just jumping around like a kid. I mean, yeah, that was dangerous still, but had I just been lied to about the whole "going berserk" thing? Nonetheless, I was sure Gohan and especially Videl would be in a bit of a panic.

"Gohan, look, it's another one!"

"Oh no!"

"Wait, wait, Gohan, Videl, it's me, Court! I know, this is _really_ weird, I'm not sure I get it myself, but I'm going to help… _somehow._ "

"Oh, thank go—Whoa, whoa, Pan!" Gohan was trying to get Pan to settle down, but that was a lot easier said than done. "I, uhh—Gah!" He dodged. "Look, I think she just wants to play!"

"Is _that_ it? OK, then I'll play with her! Considering the size matter, I think I'm the only one who _can,_ anyways."

"Are you sure you two will be OK?" Videl was obviously worried for her daughter, though at least she wasn't freaking out like mom was.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Master Court, may I make a suggestion?"

"As long as it doesn't involve chopping tails off, you may."

"It is currently night time here on the eastern side of the planet, but the sun is still up on the west. If you travel far _and_ fast enough, you may be able to 'outrun' the moonlight and turn yourselves back to normal."

"Ooh, nice thinking, Whis!"

"Wait a minute, Pan can't go that fast!" Videl protested, and she also had a good point. "Besides, it'll be night time there soon, so you'll just end up prolonging the process."

"Then let's go towards the ocean to the east. It'll save us an hour or two for the sun to rise."

"C-Can you guys decide quickly?! I—Whoa! I-I don't think I can keep Pan in one place for much longer!"

It was almost _comical_ to see Gohan struggle so much to control his own daughter, but enough about that. I called for Pan's attention by making playful gestures of my own, which incited her to follow me. We ran east, though I had to make sure that Pan wouldn't accidentally crash onto some of the outskirt farmhouses on the way. I found myself having to **lift** her and throwing her up onto the air while catching her before she hit the ground. Considering we were monkeys the size of a four story building, this must have been an _unforgettable_ sight to behold.

Gohan and Videl were following right behind us, though I was surprised to see that they were… **happy.** I think I understood why, however. Despite the _absurdity_ of the situation, they were still seeing their daughter happy, enjoying herself in the most _unexpected_ family bonding time imaginable. And on top of that, I think their lack of hesitation towards letting me handle the matter meant that they truly trusted me. I remembered that I left Earth a year ago with a cloud of uncertainty, where some people were OK with my new "career" but it seemed like no one was really 100% with it. Now, they had nothing to worry about. I had proven myself and gained their trust. _That_ was the most important thing to me.

* * *

I felt the sun rays hit my face, waking me up to the sound of ocean waves and seagulls. We were at the beach east of Satan City. I was resting up against a palm tree while Gohan, Videl, and Pan were still asleep behind a large rock to my left, hiding away from the sunlight. And most importantly, both Pan and I were back to our normal forms, with our tails still in place and the moon still intact. We must have been running and playing all night and eventually just passed out of exhaustion! Whis was nowhere to be found, but eh, I'm sure he was out eating food somewhere else.

What I _did_ see, though, was a turtle with a man standing on top of it. Upon further examination, it was…

"Oh, Master Roshi! It's been a long time!"

"Ah—Ahh…!" His nose was… bleeding…?

"Huh? Hey, what's wrong?"

"This…! T-This is an unexpectedly _warm_ reunion, my young beautiful maiden!"

"What…?" _Ooooohh,_ I was naked… "… YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : The Great Ape transformation is **criminally** underrated. No matter how many different hair colors they throw at me with all those Super Saiyan transformations, _nothing_ will ever beat the sheer _tension and spectacle_ of a Great Ape, for me at least. Not to mention, if Great Apes were still relevant, all the Saiyans would get to keep their tails. And tails are just cool, man! They help to visually tell Saiyans apart from other humanoid species, and they add a special "flare" to the characters. If Akira Toriyama is going to conveniently write them out, then _I'm_ going to conveniently write them back in.

I actually had to look up a map of Dragon Ball's Earth to make sure that Whis' idea of running west made sense. Conveniently enough, the Son residence and Satan City are more or less on the same longitude, so it _would_ be night time on both places at the same time. I know this is fiction and I could have possibly gotten away with that plan _even_ if the two places had been on opposite sides of the planet, but I do like to sprinkle some science here and there.

Anyways, sorry if the one year time skip seems a bit sudden. I just didn't want to stay writing planetary travel adventures forever. There's still going to be some of that in the future, but I need to move on in order to set some of the more _interesting_ ideas I have in motion. I don't remember exactly how much time passes between the Battle of Gods arc and the Resurrection 'F' arc, but a year sounds reasonable.


	6. Chapter 6: Resurrection 'Fear'

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 6: Resurrection 'Fear'**

"Alright, Court, come at me with everything you've got!"

"Ugh… If _this_ is what it takes for you to stop asking, fine."

Ever since I got back to Earth for my vacation, dad had been bugging me _relentlessly_ about having a sparring match with me. I'm not good at hiding my own ki, so he had clearly sensed how much stronger I had gotten since I started my journey as a Goddess of Destruction. Which, fair enough, I _was_ considerably stronger than the year prior. Not only did I have more power, but I'd also gained more _battle experience_ than ever before. My swordsmanship had also vastly improved, from knowing only what I saw on TV and video games, to _real_ field battles with _real_ opponents. Combining hand-to-hand combat with an assortment of blade techniques, I could be considered a genuine fighter.

Even after all that, however, I still had nowhere _near_ my dad's expertise in combat! He had _decades_ of experience, fought one-on-one with some of the universe's biggest threats, and had achieved powers that rivaled the _gods themselves!_ And he wanted _me_ to spar with _him?!_ If it wasn't for the Mediator, there wouldn't even be a point to this match. Thanks to this artifact, even puny ol' me could _technically_ stand up to someone like **Beerus.** Heck, this is what helped me "win" last year's "match," though it was really just an attack to get my dad to back off. This time, however, I _didn't_ have the element of surprise. The Mediator was already active, dad had gotten enough time to adjust to the power balancing, and I was probably _screwed._

* * *

OK, well, it actually wasn't _that_ bad. I know _for a fact_ that dad was holding back, but the fight lasted a couple of minutes; it didn't end in five seconds as I was originally anticipating. Unfortunately, it all ended when dad decided to stop holding back and went Super Saiyan. Yes, the Mediator _did_ give me an equal power boost, but it wouldn't be enough to predict dad's sudden change in attack patterns and aggression. Once I saw that spiky golden hair, I knew I'd be on the ground before I could say…

" _Super Saiy_ — **AAAGH!** " … Before I could say that. "Dad… Huff… We're done here…"

"Aww, maaan… But hey, you've improved a lot, Court! I'm proud of you!" Dad handed me a senzu bean, while he ate one of his own.

"Thanks… Though again, I need you to remember that fighting isn't really my passion. I'll do it if I have to, but _these_ kind of sparring matches are really not my cup of tea…"

"Alright, I'll try to hold off next time." The way he said that sentence felt like it was missing a "no promises" at the end. "But anyways, what was the other thing you wanted to do today?"

The _one_ thing I wanted to do, actually… "I wanted to gather the Dragon Balls so that we could help Gohan's Great Saiyaman network. Maybe wishing for higher-tier equipment or information only known by corrupt corporations, you know, something like that."

"Oh, the Dragon Balls? Ehh, actually, I think someone used them a couple months ago."

"Really? Who was it? … And for what?"

"I've no idea. I just saw the sky get dark as it usually does and then it came back to normal after a while. Either way, nothing particularly interesting has happened around here, so I'm sure it wasn't anything special."

"Ahh… I-I dunno, this… doesn't give me any good vibes… Is there any way to know who did it and for what?"

"Beats me. Hey, come on, Court, aren't you worrying too much? Look, if any strong bad guys come for us, I'm sure you and I will be able to take care of them just fine!"

"Well, I sure hope you're right…"

"Yup! There's nothing to worry abo…?!" Scratch that, there _was_ something to worry about. There was something to worry about _a lot._

What _was_ this… presence?! It was **monumentally** powerful, the likes of which I had never felt before…! And not only that, this _thing_ – whatever it was – felt… _menacing._ _Evil._ _Pure, unadulterated_ _ **malignance.**_ Even as the Goddess of Destruction, just realizing that an unknown force of _this_ magnitude existed made me nearly collapse on the floor from fear. And dad was not better off…

"T-This… No… _No…!_ It… It can't be…!"

"D-Dad…?! W-What… What _is_ this…?!"

"No…! No, **no, NO!** " Without a second more to waste, dad blasted off in this thing's direction. At around the same time, I felt the energies of the other warriors across the globe heading there. Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Tien, everyone was on their way to confront this _monstrosity._ And as terrified as I was, I had to join them as well.

* * *

As I approached the battlefield, the first thing I saw was a circular spaceship of some description. It was **huge,** probably with enough room for a thousand soldiers _at least._ And speaking of which, there _were_ about a thousand figures floating around the ship. None of them individually felt like a particularly big threat, but they undoubtedly had a number advantage. The terrible ki, however, was felt _behind_ all of these soldiers.

I landed beside all of the other Z Warriors, and they all had their eyes glued in shock to the source of the incredible energy. The monster began descending slowly on some kind of flying pot, and its appearance became clearer with the vanishing distance. It was… mostly purple, and it had horns… its _grin_ said "malice" and its _eyes_ spelled "doom." Though I had never seen him in person, this description was _eerily_ close to that of…

"F… F-Fr… F-F…! F-FRIEZA!" Krillin confirmed my fears… I was standing before the tyrannical emperor of the universe himself. I was _supposed_ to be _above_ this demon, but I felt like an insignificant _ant_ at that moment.

"… Hmph." Vegeta was serious… but not scared. And somehow, his lack of fear scared me.

Dad had regained his composure, but he still had a look of complete focus. He might have been a lot more powerful than when he first fought Frieza, but everyone could tell that this was not the same Frieza they once felt. As for me, this was my first time feeling his appalling power. When I heard his voice, it only made matters worse.

"My, my, such a warm welcome that you _pathetic worms_ have arranged for me! I feel _honored._ "

Dad was the first to confront him. "Frieza! I don't know how you're alive or why you've come to Earth, but I want you out of our planet!"

"Oh? So, the miserable monkey thinks he can order me? Aahahaha!"

Vegeta spoke up as well. "Hmph… Listen up, Frieza, because I'm only saying this once: if you don't _immediately_ go back the way you came from, I will personally ensure that you experience pain that will leave you _begging for death._ You may have gotten a measly power boost since the last time we met, but it amounts to _nothing_ compared to what I, the Prince of All Saiyans, have achieved."

"That's right, Frieza!" Gohan decided to chime in as well. "We are not the same people you fought back on Namek! We can and _will_ take you down!"

"Hmm? You look familiar, _worm…_ Ah, I remember! You're the half-breed **brat.** Just thinking of your pitiful expression when I had you corralled like a rat… Oh, what joy it brings!" I… never knew the details of what happened at Namek. All I knew is that Krillin was killed by Frieza and dad eventually managed to defeat him through achieving Super Saiyan. Thinking of what this monster could have done to my brother made my blood boil, but unfortunately not enough to overpower the fear I felt.

"And you…" Frieza then turned towards **me…!** "… Another filthy monkey? Even more of you insects escaped my grasp, I see… Well, no matter, I'll fix that minor oversight _real soon._ "

The way Frieza referred to us Saiyans as "monkeys" felt especially insulting, even if he was _partially_ right. Being our self-proclaimed " _prince,_ " Vegeta was naturally the most offended by these statements. "So, you're still hell-bent on destroying the proud Saiyan race, are you? Well, if you're so desperate to _die,_ then allow _me_ to sent you straight back to hell."

With those final words, Frieza's legion of soldiers began their attack.

* * *

Every single one of us had _dozens_ of soldiers to deal with from all directions. As long as there were this many soldiers in the battlefield, using the Mediator against Frieza was a terrible idea. We would have to trim their numbers down to the single digits before I could even _consider_ my blade's powers.

Luckily for us, Frieza decided to sit back and enjoy the carnage instead of jumping in. Being the strongest fighters, dad and Vegeta were the ones taking out the largest chunks of the tyrant's army. I had hoped that Gohan wouldn't be lagging too far behind them, but it seemed like my brother was _way_ out of combat practice. I was still weaker than him, but having just come back from a full year of battling in similar scenarios, I found myself having less trouble than he was. Everyone else also seemed underwhelming compared to dad and Vegeta, but that didn't stop anyone from trying their best.

After what seemed like an eternity (which actually was just a few minutes), we were finally starting to bring the army's numbers down to a controllable level. Though, some of _our_ own men had already been knocked out as well. None of them were dead, thankfully, but the only ones that still had enough stamina to fight were dad, Vegeta, Piccolo, and myself – and I was starting to feel the pressure quite heavily. It was then that I remembered something – where in the hell was _Whis?!_ If he were helping us, all of these soldiers _and_ Frieza himself would already be planted on the ground! I get that he was only supposed to get involved in cases of extreme urgency, but this certainly felt like one such case!

Whatever the case, Piccolo and I finished the last couple of soldiers while dad had gone up to go face-to-face with Frieza. As per usual, no matter how much of a sleazebag his opponent was, dad _always_ wanted to fight them at their full power. Getting up from his weird throne thing, Frieza revealed his full figure and started powering up. The already intense atmosphere became even more so. However, _this was it_ – I had the _perfect_ opportunity to surprise the monster with the Mediator's powers, and use that short moment of off-balance to erase him in one attack. With the limited energy I had left, I flew as fast as I could towards the tyrant with a steady grip on my sword, ready to deliver a finishing blo—

"This is _my_ fight, **you brat!** " I could only catch a millisecond of Vegeta's figure charging straight towards me before being knocked unconscious.

* * *

"… rt. … dy C…t. Ar… wake… ourt… Lady Court."

"Hnngh… Ggh… Ah…? W-Whis…?"

"Oh good, you're awake now. And it seems like most of your wounds are gone."

"What… W-What happened? Wait, where's Frie—!"

My question was answered before I could finish asking it. I saw Frieza in a different part of the battlefield, engulfed in a mysterious golden aura akin to a Super Saiyan's…! As my senses started coming back, I could feel the _unbelievable_ power that he possessed! And as I looked closer, I noticed that he was choking Vegeta with his tail, while the self-proclaimed Prince had been beaten to a bloody pulp, probably inches away from death. Then I remembered… Vegeta, _that bastard!_ What the hell was he _thinking_ when he attacked me like that?! Just because he wanted a one-on-one with that monster?! Now he was paying the prize, I just hoped that no one else had… had… No… _No…!_ It… _No!_ _ **NO!**_

" _ **DAAAAAD!**_ "

I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing… My father's body was lying on the ground, no motion, no sound, his pupils… _lifeless._ I flew to his side at max speed, hoping that maybe I was wrong, maybe there was still a chance, maybe…! _Please… Anything…!_ I didn't want to… I didn't want to accept… that my dad was… **dead.** Dad… _Dad…!_

" **AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!** _ **FFFRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEZAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**_ "

My cry of fury _roared_ throughout the entire battlefield. I felt anger passionate enough to blind any sane person with an insatiable thirst for _vengeance._ In fact, this rage manifested itself in a manner that my target was all too familiar with.

I felt my power _skyrocket._ The aura emanating from my body changed from its usual shade of blue to a blinding shine of gold, as did my hair. I looked at Frieza straight in his eyes with the same look that my dad must have given him back on Namek – the eyes of a Super Saiyan.

The monster's attention was now on me, dropping Vegeta on the ground, gasping for air. Despite my transformation, Frieza sustained his daring smirk, knowing full well that his power was still _insurmountably_ higher than mine. Seeing that _disgusting_ look on his face after what he had done only angered me further, but little did Frieza know that his confidence would become his demise.

I charged at him at full speed, keeping a firm grasp on the Mediator. Frieza _literally_ had his arms open, _inviting_ me to attack him with all my might. Just before reaching close enough to strike him, I activated the Mediator's powers. In a fraction of a second, I felt my power once again skyrocket probably _a hundred_ times higher than before. Frieza didn't even have enough time to register that he, in turn, was about a hundred times weaker all of a sudden. Having the element of surprise, I delivered a _devastating_ knee strike to the devil lizard's gut, completely knocking him out of balance and emptying his lungs of air.

If I were like other full-blooded Saiyans, I would have continued to pummel Frieza into the ground with brute force. But no matter how indescribably irate I was at the moment, I knew better than to drag this fight any more than necessary. This… _thing_ didn't _deserve_ , didn't have the _right_ to exist for a second longer. Infusing the power of Destruction onto my sword, I impaled Frieza through the back and out the front, spearing the tip of the blade onto the ground with his body slowly sliding down the Mediator. From the wound outwards, his body started dissipating, screaming in pain and anguish as he knew what I had done to him. Within seconds, Frieza had been **erased.** Not killed, not sent to the underworld, no, he was **gone** from all possible realms in the multiverse. I made _sure_ that this would truly and unquestionably be the last time we ever saw him.

* * *

With that ordeal out of the way, it was time to switch my attention to a different problem; the _other_ reason why I still felt an unyielding indignation in my core.

" **Vegeta!** " While he was still on the ground face-down and defeated, I held my blade mere _inches_ from his head.

"Ggh…!"

"Do you have **any** idea of what your _senseless_ interruption have caused?! **Do you?!** "

" _Gaagh!_ Shut _up,_ you half-breed weakli—"

" _ **Silence!**_ " I planted my foot on Vegeta's head and _plunged_ his face back into the solid ground.

"My father… is **dead.** _Because of you._ _You_ made me lose the man that I cherished more than _anyone_ else in this _universe;_ the man that I _swore_ to protect, even if it meant that my life would become a never-ending cycle of genocide. _How do you intend to make up for this?_ "

"You…! Did you… forget about the… D-Dragon Balls…?! Y-You… _damned fool…!_ "

"So that's it, then… You think lives can just be thrown away like _garbage_ because they can _simply_ be brought back with the Dragon Balls, is that right? You don't even have a _sliver_ of respect for all those lives you've taken… My dad, Nappa, or any of the **millions** of people you killed before coming to Earth. Dad may have forgiven you, but _not me._ I will never forget; _I will never_ _ **forgive.**_ "

"Grr…! You talk as if… you don't _already_ do the same things I did…!" Using the same foot that was keeping Vegeta on the ground, I flipped him over with a harsh kick. Once again I planted my foot on him, this time on his chest and still with my blade practically touching his nose. I stared at him _dead in the eyes._

" _Do_ _ **not.**_ _Compare me. To_ _ **you.**_ " For the first time in my life, I had infused a different emotion on Vegeta besides disappointment – **fear.** The same fear that he showed to Beerus. "I don't think you understand the situation that you're in right now. I could _vanish_ you from _any_ realm of existence with a flick of my wrist. I _should_ erase you."

There was a long, mortifying silence. It was as if Vegeta was face-to-face with the grim reaper themselves, and not _once_ did I put my gaze away from him. Everything was set. Just like last year, he was _right_ where I wanted him. This time there was no mockery – he was truly scared for his life. There was **no** reason to hesitate… except…

"… Go to your family."

"Hahh… _Huh…?!_ "

"They need you, just as much as you need them." Even while saying this, I hadn't given up on holding my sword against him. "Do not **ever** place yourself before them. _Nothing_ – _absolutely_ _ **nothing**_ – will ever be more important than your **family.** And if I _ever_ hear that you put your selfish desires before their safety again, _I will bring you the fate that you truly deserve._ "

There was nothing else that needed to be said to that inexplicable excuse of a man. I put the Mediator back in its sheath and dropped out of my Super Saiyan state. I flew back to my father's corpse, yet there was one more person that I needed to talk to.

* * *

"… Whis."

"Yes, milady?"

"… Why didn't you rescue my dad before he died?"

"Lady Court, you know that I'm not allowed to intervene with—"

"It's always the same with you, isn't it?! If you're not allowed to intervene, then _what the hell are you even doing here?!_ "

"…"

"You _know_ that I'm immortal! You gave me these powers yourself! Even if I was unconscious, I would have been fine afterwards! You could have **saved him…!** You could have…!"

"… I'm sorry…"

There was nothing else I could say; nothing that the incessant tears streaming down my face would allow.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : This is where the story is _really_ going to deviate from the original. As a reminder, Whis has spent all of his time with Court going to all those different planets, instead of sitting around doing nothing like Beerus would have had him. As a result, neither Goku nor Vegeta have ever received training from him, meaning that they weren't strong enough to achieve Super Saiyan Blue, or even be _aware_ that there was such a thing. While I wanted those two to have an impact in the story, I didn't want them to actually be central characters like they are in Super. This segways into my next point.

There are three main reasons why I created Court instead of using one of the show's characters. **Number one…** I like girls – plain and simple. **Number two,** I have a lot more control of an OC than I do someone with a pre-established personality and traits that may or may not fit the plot I'm trying to tell. And **number three,** while I don't have much against Goku or Vegeta, I personally would like to see someone else have _and keep_ the spotlight. It was a thrill seeing Goku go from a weird monkey boy in the woods to a _literal god,_ but I think I've had my fix of him over the past several years.

Finally, and this is more of a technical observation, but there was a glitch on the website where I could approve guest reviews and the counter would go up, but the review itself wouldn't show up. After some research, this appears to be a known bug that happens all the time, and it has been fixed as of this writing. Nonetheless, do know that if you post a review in the future and it doesn't show up on the review page, it's more than likely caused by this glitch and _not_ me deleting it (unless you just post some gibberish or something).


	7. Chapter 7: Independence

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 7: Independence**

To say that my "vacation" wasn't as enjoyable as I expected would be a _criminal_ understatement. Though, at the same time, I'm glad that I was there to help stop Frieza, otherwise there might not have _been_ a planet or family to come back to. Even so, the atmosphere for the next few days had been **abysmal.** It was comparable to that of John's family back in Planet Lulipa. Man, a full year later, and that day still haunted me…

I had calmed down after doing and saying all the things I did. I didn't regret any of what I said, _especially_ not towards Vegeta, but I might have been unfair with Whis. After all, if he hadn't healed my wounds when he did, Frieza might have taken even more lives. Losing my brother, my friends, it was all a harrowing thought. And to be honest, I didn't really know much about Whis' higher ups anyways. The Grand Priest and Master Zeno… I knew of their existence, but what they did or even what they _looked like_ remained a mystery to me. So for all I know, they could have even gone as far as _erasing_ Whis if he broke the rules.

Despite my clouded mind, I needed to move on. We would revive dad with the Dragon Balls once they became active again in about eight months. Eight _grueling_ months for all of us, my mom and Goten especially, but this _wouldn't_ be the first occurrence of my dad's passing. I knew we'd get through this. Or… I hoped so, at least.

Whis and I were back in Beerus' home (who was _still_ asleep…), trying to get in contact with the inhabitants of our next planet.

"Hmm… Oh! I believe we're getting a signal now."

The hologram from Whis' staff was showing a lot of static, but then it started forming a picture. We saw someone that looked sort of like an old scientist, similar to Dr. Brief from Capsule Corp. " _Hehh?!_ I-It's _working!_ Everyone, look, it's working!" He was very excited about something, too.

Several other people started coming into the screen. They all looked human-like, though some seemed like they belonged to a different species from others. Almost like… Nah, I was probably just delusional from all that had happened recently. "Umm… Hello! My name is Court, and we're just calling to let you kno—"

"What the—?! Oh no, the signal's falling!" The already ecstatic scientist was starting to freak out even more. The screen began showing static again. "Can y… me?! _H…llo?!_ W…"

"Oh… It disconnected."

"That was weird… What's this planet called, again?"

"Hmm… I believe it doesn't _have_ a name. It was thought to only be inhabited by wild creatures, but has recently been emitting radio signals. Those people we just saw might actually be stranded in there."

" _Stranded?!_ We've gotta go help them, then!"

"As you wish." Tapping his staff on the ground, Whis and I set towards this unknown planet at full speed.

* * *

This was probably the strangest scenario we had encountered since I became a Goddess of Destruction. I said we should go help these people, but _how_ exactly should we go about doing that? Maybe we could take them to another planet, or some kind of space station might be a viable choice. Then again, I didn't even know how many people there were. I'm sure the few that we saw in the hologram weren't representative of the _whole_ population. What if it was an entire _city's_ worth of people? _Or_ maybe I was getting ahead of myself. We should meet them first before making any decisions.

The unknown planet became visible from a distance as we traveled through space. It was surprisingly mostly blue and green, just like Earth, but there were other colors mixed in as well. Even more impressive was the planet's **ring,** similar to Saturn's but with the key difference that it was divided into four sections of different colors: blue, green, yellow, and red. It was like a luminous beacon that stood out amongst all the neighboring planets. Whatever this planet's history was, it already seemed like one of the most beautiful places we had encoun—"Wha…? Hey! Why are you covering my eyes, Whis?"

"The moon in this planet is quite large. You wouldn't want to greet the populace looking like a big, scary monster, would you?"

"Oh… In that case, thanks."

"Though, maybe the Great Ape aesthetic _would_ be more fitting for a Goddess of Destruction!"

"I'll pass…"

To avoid any unnecessary monkeying around, I had to keep my eyes covered until we entered the stratosphere. Thankfully it was daytime in the area we were headed for, so I could open my eyes again and— _ **Whoa!**_ This place was _amazing!_ It was like a fantasy dreamland; the grass and trees were as vibrant as the springs on Mt. Paozu, the waters were clear as mirrors, the mountains formed incredible formations…! Even the animals were an exotic marvel, from gracious beasts that roamed the ground, to flying creatures akin to an explosion of colors, to—wait, hold on, _**dragons?!**_ _Yes!_ Dragons _towering_ over the land, dominating the skies, overseeing the waters, everything! They were of all shapes and sizes, some similar to Shenron while others were a completely unique bunch. This was a spectacle that I'd never forget!

Something else I noticed, however, was the presence of **crystals** scattered across the land. They had the same colors as the planet's ring, and I noticed that certain colors appeared at or close to certain elements. Blue crystals were mostly around bodies of water, yellow crystals on solid ground, while green crystals were at the very top of the mountains or, heck, some of them were just _floating!_ So they each represented a certain element… which made me wonder, what about red crystals? Well, I'm sure we'd encounter some of those sooner or later.

* * *

After flying for a while, we eventually reached the place where the signal came from. It looked like a camp with only a few tents made out of wood, stone, and other basic materials. As we approached, people started coming out of the tents.

"You weren't kidding, Whis. This doesn't really look like a proper town, so these people really _may_ be stranded here."

"Heeeey! Over heeeere!" A skinny lady waved her arms calling for our attention.

Once we landed, the elderly scientist that we saw on the hologram came to meet us as well. " _By the gods…!_ I don't believe it! It has been _decades_ since we last saw another person!" Decades?! Wow, I guess there was more history to this than met the eye.

"Hello! I'm Court, and this is my assistant Whis. We came here as soon as we received the signal."

"Yes, of course! After many years, we were finally able to craft a communication device in hopes of getting in contact with another planet. You're the first ones to have answered." That confirmed our theory of them being stranded. "Oh, how awfully rude of me! My name is Professor Tano."

After Professor Tano introduced himself, the skinny lady that was waving at us followed suit. "It's nice to meet you! My name is Gine and…" Gine was surprised when she got a better look at my figure. "A… _tail…?!_ You're a Saiyan?!"

It wasn't until she pointed this out that I noticed that _she_ had a tail, too…! In fact, almost half of the people around us had tails! They were **Saiyans!** A small colony of Saiyans and another species, out in the middle of nowhere! This was a _completely_ unexpected discovery.

"Y-You're a Saiyan, too! I-I thought they had all gone extinct after Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta!"

"Most of us did, but not everyone. You see, before Frieza could destroy the planet, my late husband came to warn everyone to flee before it was too late. The majority simply thought that he was insane, but I believed him, of course."

Professor Tano spoke up. "Thanks to Mrs. Gine and Bardock, we were able to gather a group of Saiyans and Tuffles to board escape shuttles. We had no time to think of any specific planet to arrive, so we all picked the first habitable place that appeared on the computer and headed in its direction. And well, here we are. The escape shuttles only had enough fuel for one trip, so we've been stranded on this planet ever since."

" _Tuffles,_ you say?" Whis was intrigued by this. "Were the Tuffles _not_ eradicated by the Saiyans when the full moon appeared on the then Planet Plant? That's what the galactic records indicate."

"Once again, most of us were, but not everyone. As you can see, not all the Saiyans were vicious monsters. People like Mrs. On that night, Gine and other kind-hearted Saiyans took as many Tuffles as they could and put us in refuge. We had to stay hidden from the evil Saiyans for years, but the good Saiyans made sure to provide us with the best food and medicine they could find."

"It was the least we could do, seeing as our 'fellow' Saiyans had done terrible things to the innocent Tuffles." Gine said this with a hint of sadness in her voice. "All of us feel guilty for what the Tuffles went through, even if we all understand that it wasn't us specifically that wanted to harm them."

"We've gotten over our differences by now and we live in harmony, as we should have been from the beginning."

"But what about you, Court?" Gine shifted the attention to me. "I don't recall ever seeing you back on Vegeta. How did you escape?"

"Well, actually, I'm not a full-fledged Saiyan. I'm a hybrid between a Saiyan and an Earthling."

"A hybrid?" I heard a voice ask from our surrounding audience. When I turned to look, I saw a girl approach us in a… a wheelchair… She wore long and heavy clothes that covered most of her figure, likely to hide her… _condition,_ though it was just _too_ noticeable to conceive… Her entire right arm and right leg were… _gone._ I couldn't help but start wondering what **horrible** thing must have happened to put her in this bad a shape.

"O-Oh… A-Ah, yes, I'm a hybrid…"

"I'm a hybrid, too! My mother was a Saiyan and my father a Tuffle." Trying my best to ignore the obvious, I examined her physical appearance. She had a dark skin tone contrasted by her bright pink hair and eyes. It was almost like her color scheme was the opposite of mine. Her hair was wild and spiky like a Saiyan's, but it was said that all Saiyans had dark hair colors, so I guess the pink was where the Tuffle part came in. Her tail was hanging from the right handle of her wheelchair, suggesting that she used it as a replacement for her missing arm. She looked around my age, but then again Gine didn't look _that_ much older, even though she was probably on her late 50's _at least._ Us Saiyans aged slowly.

"I… I-I see! W-Well, nice to meet you, umm…"

"Indi!"

"Indi, got it. S-So, umm… I don't want to sound _rude,_ but…"

"You want to know what happened to my arm and leg, right?"

"A-Ah, that's…! I-It's OK, I don't want to make you uncomfortable!"

"No, no, it's fine. I've gotten used to it already… Sort of." I noticed that Professor Tano lowered his head at this. It was going to be a _tragic_ story…

* * *

Indi's parents met during the night of the full moon when the evil Saiyans attacked the Tuffles. To put a long story short, Indi's mother transformed into a Great Ape to defend a medically ill male Tuffle from being killed by another Great Ape. She succeeded, but was heavily injured in the battle. Once she and the Tuffle were escorted to the refuge site, they spent several days on hospital beds lying side by side. Through countless conversations filled with mutual comforting, the two fell in love and became inseparable partners. However, because the Tuffle refuge was kept as a secret from the evil Saiyans, their relationship too had to remain a secret to the outside world.

Even with the risk of being found out, the two eventually had a baby, Indi. The three were a happy family, despite the deplorable conditions that they had to deal with due to their secretive engagement. However, as the years went on, the evil Saiyans grew suspicious of the whereabouts of Indi's father… To avoid the refuge's location from being discovered, he fled the site to be beside his wife and daughter and protect them in any way he could. The result was a **massacre** of the family, ending in the death of Indi's parents while Indi herself had been left for dead with gruesome injuries – the dismemberment of her arm and leg. Yet, through an immaculate miracle, she survived. Soon after the tragedy, Frieza began his attack on Planet Vegeta.

At a very young age, Indi had lost her parents, an arm and a leg, and her home. I… had difficulty processing just how much this poor girl had suffered… Losing my father a _third_ time still had me in a daze, and every smile I had made since was just a mask to hide my sorrow. Yet here was Indi, having _every_ right in the world to be _swallowed_ by depression, but she chose to smile instead. And unlike mine, her smile was _sincere._ True to her Saiyan heritage, Indi was **strong,** possibly the strongest person I had ever met. But not in the way my dad would have described it, no… It was the strength that no amount of sparring sessions or weighted clothes could _ever_ hope to achieve.

"I-Indi… I… I-I just don't know what to say… Other than… I'm sorry…"

"It's OK, really! There's no point dwelling in the past. What matters is that we're alive and working towards a brighter future."

"Still, what happened to you is too cruel…"

"Hihi, thanks, Court, I appreciate your concern. But really, I'm fii… _Ngh—_ _ **HRGHH….!**_ "

" _I-Indi?!_ " Without warning, Indi was put into excruciating pain! She held her only hand against her chest, almost as if she was having a _heart attack!_ All the other residents watched in horror alongside me, except for Professor Tano – he took action instead. He reached into his lab coat and pulled out a leather glove, which I quickly noticed had a blue crystal attached to it, just like the ones Whis and I had seen on our way here. The Professor held his hand with the glove against Indi's chest, which emitted a light of the same color as the crystal. Soon after, Indi stopped shrieking in pain, falling unconscious back on her wheelchair. I simply stood in shock wondering _what in the world_ I had just witnessed.

"Wh… _W-W-What just happened…?!_ Is she OK?!"

Professor Tano looked back at me, putting his magic glove away. "This… is something Indi has been dealing with ever since she lost her limbs. An unbalance of blood circulation, combined with inheriting her father's feeble health, results in sporadic sanguineous attacks when we least expect them."

Gine continued. "They became more frequent and dangerous as Indi's body grew. It's only thanks to these Aether crystals that we can stop them." Though I did become mildly curious at the mention of " **Aether,** " my full attention was still on Indi's condition. "However, I'm afraid we're unable to cure her…"

"We're unable to cure her _yet._ " The Professor interrupted, sounding a bit desperate in the process. "I'll find a cure… I don't care what I have to do, but… _I promised her._ " With those words, Professor Tano took Indi into one of the tents, probably where he had his science equipment. The atmosphere was overtaken by a hopeless silence, as I continued deep in thought trying to process all the information I had just received.

* * *

When things settled down, Gine took me into her tent to fill me in on the many questions I had. Whis, as always, went on to explore the rest of the planet, off in his own little world. Gine offered me some food, primarily composed of several different animal meats. Even though I _was_ a Saiyan, my appetite _refused_ to eat in the wild manner I usually would. I still couldn't (and felt like I _shouldn't_ ) stop thinking about Indi.

Nonetheless, I did learn more about the planet and its alien visitors. Since no official name was on record for it, the Saiyans and Tuffles agreed to call it " **Planet Aether.** " "Aether" was the energy contained within the magic crystals scattered throughout the entire world, and as I deduced, it was connected to different elements. All of this Aether came from the planet's ring, which was dense enough to adorn the skies even during broad daylight. The dragons that lived here had the ability to harness Aether, and as such evolved in accordance to their respective elements. Even after decades of research, Professor Tano and the others had only gained minor understanding on how to channel the power of Aether, hence his otherwise-simple Water Aether glove being one of his most notorious inventions. Since blood was a liquid, the Water Aether allowed the Professor to control Indi's circulation when the attacks happened.

I was surprised when Gine told me that they had lived here in Planet Aether for decades now, at least 40 years in fact. In all that time, they never managed to build up a more suitable civilization? As it turns out, none of the Saiyans in here were particularly strong. In order to set up mining camps, they would need people that could hold off the dragons, but no one was capable of such a task. The dragons were not hostile but they were _territorial,_ so expanding outside of the current area was a dangerous move. They had learned to hunt for the smaller creatures around here for food, and the Tuffles studied the patterns of the moon so they knew when it would be full, warning the Saiyans to stay indoors during those nights. All in all, it was a functional society… just not a very advanced one.

Though, going back to the topic of strong people, there was something I felt earlier but was in too much of a shock to bring up. When Indi had her blood spasm, I felt her ki momentarily rise _tremendously_ from what it was previously, rivaling or even _surpassing_ mine! How was this possible for someone that was so _incapacitated?_ I had to mention this to Gine.

"Hey, Gine? I was wondering, are you able to sense ki?"

" _Ki?_ You mean like power levels? I thought you could only do that with a scouter…"

"If you train, you can learn how to read it with your mind."

"Really? That's impressive. But… why are you bringing this up?"

"Well, it's because I felt Indi's ki rise up like _crazy_ back when she had that attack."

"It did? Wow, I had no idea…"

"Yeah, so, do you know anything about that? Was she a strong fighter before the incident happened?"

"Not that I'm aware of… But maybe… It might be her Saiyan ability to come back stronger after recovering from a deadly wound. Since, well… she's constantly on the brink of death…" Though my question was answered, I felt like that last statement was a sign to drop the conversation. Not for Gine, however. "And… it truly is a shame if what you're saying is true…"

"Hmm…? W-What do you mean, Gine?"

"Ehh… You see, Court… Indi… may not be able to live for much longer…"

" _W-What…?!_ B-But _why?!_ "

"Her condition has been getting worse throughout her entire life, and we fear that it'll soon reach a point where not even Aether will be able to save her. That's why Professor Tano was so upset, because he knows that if he doesn't find a cure soon… it'll be _too late._ "

"N-No…! Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"Believe me, if there was, we would have done it a long time ago. But with how limited our resources are we just can't…"

"… _I'll_ save her."

"Court?"

"I know someone who can help her. Whatever they need me to do, I'll do it. But I _refuse_ to let Indi die."

"A-Are you sure? What if you have to put yourself in danger or—"

"Gine. I'm going to save Indi. No matter what, _I'll do it._ **I** _ **promise.**_ "

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The revival of the Saiyans has always been a hot and interesting topic to engage into in the Dragon Ball community. Super seems to be alluding to it with Universe 6's Saiyans, but while that is a subject I will touch in the future, I wanted to do something interesting with Universe _7's_ presumably extinct Saiyans. The Tuffles were also a nice touch to spice things up a bit.

There's something else that's key about the revival of the Saiyans, though. If you told me that Saiyans were a horrible species of bloodthirsty savages that only meant chaos for the universe, and I looked at the calendar and the year was between the 90's and mid 2000's, I would agree with you. I'd be like "yeah, Saiyans were _terrible!_ One or two might have been alright, but I'm glad they're all dead!" But if you tell me the same thing _now_ in 2017, I will look at you and ask you to give me whatever you're smoking. Saiyans are **not** evil anymore, not _commercially._

It started with Tarble being a happy-go-lucky Saiyan back in "Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return" in 2008. Then, several DBZ video games since have added their own Saiyans, and they're always a hero. Ultimate Tenkaichi revolved around a Saiyan hero; Dragon Ball Heroes constantly advertises Beat and Note as Saiyan heroes, as well as their other companions; Xenoverse allows you to save history as a Saiyan; and Dragon Ball Fusions is in a similar spot to Xenoverse. Then there was Gine being a notoriously kind-hearted Saiyan, but if you look back at the manga where she debuts, you may notice that some of the other Saiyans on the panels look pretty harmless as well. Let's not forget that the Super Saiyan God transformation requires six _pure-hearted_ Saiyans specifically. And now, we have Cabba telling us that Universe 6's Saiyans are _defenders of the universe._ Bottom line is, Dragon Ball has been advertising Saiyans as good guys for quite a while now, and since I like happy stories, I'm sticking with that mentality.

Finally, I'm still no good with textually describing a character's appearance. So, I'm going to draw a picture of Indi by the next chapter I upload. I'll put a note on it to let you know where to check her out.


	8. Chapter 8: In the Name of Science

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 8: In the Name of Science**

"… Hnngh… Hmm…?"

"Good morning, Indi."

"Oh…! Good morning, Court!"

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks for asking."

"That's good to hear. And guess what? There's someone here that might help you feel even better! Bulma?"

Even though Professor Tano was a very smart scientist with more knowledge than anyone else in the camp, he was limited by a lack of experience and resources. If we were going to save Indi, we needed someone that was _constantly_ breaking the boundaries of scientific discoveries. We needed someone like **Bulma.**

I asked Whis to bring us back to Earth so that I could inform Bulma about the situation in Planet Aether, putting an emphasis on Indi's condition. I didn't want _Vegeta_ to find out, however. With his bottomless ego about being _the Prince of All Saiyans,_ who knows what that maniac might have tried if he met the people here. He might have tried to rekindle their "warrior flames" through _torturous_ training, even though these Saiyans were some of the calmest and nicest people I'd ever met, opposite to their nasty rumors. They were skilled in craftsmanship, cooking, tailoring, exploration, care taking, you know, things _besides_ punching people in the face. That'd be a shocker to the proud prince if I ever saw one.

Bulma alongside Professor Tano were doing an examination on Indi, while I waited outside. I realize that I was neglecting my duties as Goddess of Destruction, but I liked to think that I was also doing my job as a divine deity of the universe. Gods were generally seen as these _superior_ beings of unrivaled authority, but I don't think anyone deserves such praise by doing _nothing._ I wished for people to _want_ me as a goddess… Or well, maybe not _a goddess,_ just… someone they could look up to. It never really crossed my mind too much, but mom was, _in fact,_ a princess. If she had been more dedicated to her duties as royalty, I think she would act the same way I am in this situation. Mom, I hope you're proud of me.

* * *

Bulma came out of the tent with a worried expression on her. "Bulma, how'd it go?"

"I'm sorry to say this, Court, but it's worse than I thought. The only way for Indi to recover is if she regained her arm and leg so that blood circulation is restored to normal. However, I'm afraid we're not able to reconstruct _that_ much body mass; we can only heal medium-sized wounds at most."

" _Damn…_ " A thought crossed my mind. "Wait, do you think the Dragon Balls would be able to cure her? Surely that's something Shenron would have no problems with."

"The problem is that the Dragon Balls won't be active again for at least eight months, and… I'm afraid Indi doesn't _have_ eight months."

"No… She's _that_ bad…? Then… Please, Bulma, there _has_ to be something we can do!"

"Ehh… I-I don't know…"

Professor Tano stepped out of the tent at that moment. "This may be a bit of a stretch, but… Would it be possible to create artificial appendages?"

My eyes lit up with that idea. "Oh, you're right! There're plenty of people on Earth that use prosthetic limbs, so this could work!"

"It's not that simple, Court." Bulma shot my dreams dead… "… But you're onto something." Or not?! "We would need some kind of material capable of circulating blood, while also having resistance far beyond any metals found on Earth."

Professor Tano added. "And it would also need to be morph-able, in case Indi ever transforms into a Great Ape. With how delicate her condition is, cutting her tail off would only make matters worse." Unsurprisingly, I was very relieved at the idea of _not_ amputating an amputee further.

"Now, where exactly do we find such a material, though…?"

"… Maybe… right here, in Planet Aether." The scientists looked at me with curious eyes. "With how powerful Aether energy is, there's bound to be some kind of metal around here that can fulfill our needs."

"Hmm… _Almost._ " Professor Tano had an idea. "There may not be a metal like what you're suggesting out in the open, but we may be able to _forge_ one ourselves. I'm sure one of Mrs. Bulma's inconceivable contraptions will allow for such craftsmanship."

"If that's the case, then leave it to Capsule Corp's. top-of-the-line technology to take care of this! All we'll need is the materials."

"I can take care of that!" I volunteered.

"And therein lies the problem…" What's up with people shooting my dreams down today?! "In theory, we'll need two kind of Aether crystals to create the ideal metal for Indi's operation: Earth Aether… and **Fire Aether.** "

"Oh… What's the problem with that?"

"While we know of its existence, we've never found a dense enough concentration of Fire Aether in all of our years here. The only place where it could abundantly exist is inside a volcano, possibly guarded by a **Fire Dragon.** I don't believe I need to explain why that's a dangerous task."

"Hmm… Even if it's dangerous, I'll do it."

"Are you sure about this, Court?"

"What's there to worry about? I beat Frieza _and_ I'm immortal! If it's to save a friend, fighting a dragon is but a minor inconvenience!"

"Hehe… Just what I'd expect to hear from Goku's daughter."

* * *

As I approached the nearest volcano, I couldn't help but be reminded of the time that my dad had to travel to the Furnace of Eight Divisions to stop Fire Mountain from… well, _being on fire._ Gohan and I hadn't been born yet, but mom told us the story when we were young. It sounded like an epic adventure, and it made us look up to our father that much more. It was the little reminders like these that made his loss more painful, but also made me want to try harder to make him proud in the afterlife.

The outer area of the volcano was _littered_ with Earth Aether crystals, so getting a hold of those would be no problem. There were also some Fire Aether crystals, but those were few and far between. At least it was a sign that I was going in the right direction. And indeed, once I got to the top of the volcano and took a peek inside, the inner walls were covered the elusive red crystals. I would need to come in and out quickly, because the heat would only allow my consciousness to stay for so long.

I probably could have waited for Bulma and Professor Tano to make some kind of heat-resistant suit so that I wouldn't be burning up so much in here. However, that could take a lot of time, and I couldn't stand to see Indi suffer any longer. All I had was a pair of gloves like the ones the Professor used, pumping cold Water Aether essence so that my hands wouldn't burn upon touching the Fire Aether crystals. I looked for the biggest piece I could find and started pulling it from the wall, quickly but carefully to make sure I didn't damage it. Luckily, there were no signs of any dragons around he—Oh, I just _had_ to open my big fat mouth, didn't I?!

From the lava in the core of the volcano emerged a giant Fire Dragon! It let out a deafening roar before shooting a ball of fire through its mouth! I managed to dodge it, but it left a large burn mark on the wall. The fire crystal was unscathed, though. Fire was probably its life essence after all. Even luckier for me, the damaged wall loosened its grip on the Fire Aether that I was trying to extract, so I rushed to grab the entire crystal and made my way to the top exit as fast as I could. _Unlucky_ for me, the Fire Dragon had **wings,** and it started chasing after me out into the jungle that surrounded the volcano!

As the majestic beast persecuted me through the skies, it constantly breathed fire in my direction. Dodging wasn't the problem; the problem was that the flames fell to the wildlife below us, putting thousands of animals in danger. And if this kept going, the dragon could even put the people back at the camp in danger. I understood that the dragon was territorial and it was justifiably angry at me for stealing its possessions, but the damage it was causing was simply too great. I _had_ to stop it.

I quickly traveled down to the ground to put the Fire Aether down, knowing full well that the dragon wouldn't leave anyone alone until it had the crystal back. I flew back up to the sky and unsheathed the Mediator from the scabbard on my hip. Facing the dragon, I imbued the power of Destruction onto the Mediator, giving the blade a deep purple glow. I went full speed towards the dragon, dodging its pyre bombardment along the way. Once I managed to get close enough to it, I flew to its side and slashed the dragon's abdomen with the Mediator, causing a lethal wound that became engulfed with Destructive energy. I witnessed as the behemoth began to disappear, its life fading from its eyes as it fell from its once graceful flight. I wish things hadn't turned out this way, but I had no other choice – the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

* * *

"Bulmaaaa! Professoooor! I'm back!" I called out for the scientists as I descended onto the camp. I'm sure Bulma had taken her time to learn more about this place and its people… maybe more than I had. I was so focused on helping Indi that I didn't even properly introduce myself to anyone, not even Gine who had been nice enough to give me food and welcomed me into her home. Once my role in saving Indi was done, that was probably something I should do.

"Court! You brought the Fire Aether crystal, I see! It's hard to believe, but I've never seen one this big in all my years in this planet." Professor Tano was impressed by what I brought.

"Great job, Court! I knew we could count on you!"

"Thanks, Bulma."

"I must ask, though, did you encounter a Fire Dragon on your expedition?"

"Ehh… Unfortunately, yes. I… had to get rid of it before it could set the whole jungle ablaze."

"Oh… I-I see… Well, there's nothing that can be done about that. You did the right thing, young lady."

"I sure hope so…" For being a Goddess of Destruction, the feeling of **guilt** is something that I was too susceptible to. "A-Anyways, is there anything else that you'll need me to do? If there's anything I can help with, I'm all ears."

"Hmm… Well, actually, there _was_ something…" Bulma had a confused expression as she pondered.

"What is it?"

"You see, since the arm and leg need to extend in accordance to Indi's size when she transforms into a Great Ape, we're going to need precise measurements to make sure that the expansion is consistent. And since you and Indi are roughly the same height on your normal forms, it's safe to assume that you're not too different on your transformed states. So…"

"You… need me to transform into a Great Ape?" I brought my tail up to my hands to enhance the sentence further.

" _Yes._ Not to mention, we don't know if any of the other Saiyans in here are able to control themselves in that form, but we know for a fact that _you_ can."

"Wow… I never thought that transformation would come in handy this much, but… Sure, if that's what you need."

"Yup! Besides, this would be the first time I ever perform research on a Great Ape _without_ them trying to kill me."

… This kind of made me feel like a guinea pig in a weird way, but whatever. To think, people were previously terrified of this tail of mine, but now it would be a key feature in breakthrough scientific discoveries. I almost wanted to brag about it to my brothers, but bragging about _not_ getting amputated as a kid was… _messed up,_ to say the least.

"Conveniently enough, tonight the moon will be full." Professor Tano kept a keen eye on the calendar. "There's no time to waste. Mrs. Bulma, we must make the necessary preparations. Court, meet us at the field east of here in an hour. Oh, and make sure your eyes are covered with something until we get there."

* * *

As the Professor asked, I was sitting out in an open field with a bandage covering my eyes. The sun was starting to set when I left the camp, so by now it was probably night time. But the main reason I could tell that the sun was long gone is because I felt… _tingly._ It was the same kind of tingles that I would feel once a month, specifically on full moon nights. Once I found out _why_ I always felt tingly, I made sure to always keep my windows closed and my room dark during those nights, which subdued the strange sensations. This time, however, I knew I was _directly_ under the full moon, even if I couldn't see it. My tail was jumpier than usual, too.

"Court, we're here!" I heard Bulma's voice. I was about to say hi back, but before I could say anything, Bulma interrupted. "Wait, _don't_ uncover your eyes yet!"

"O-Oh… OK, don't worry, I won't."

Professor Tano was there too, of course. "Before we begin setting things up, Court, I'd like to ask you something simple: how do you feel?"

"Hmm… I think _'tingly'_ is the best way to describe it." I kept swaying my tail back and forth with every sentence. It was kind of like when your body has been static for a while and you instinctively start bobbing your head and whatnot.

I audibly heard the Professor gulp when he heard this. "I-I see! Well then, let's… let's start hooking things up, Mrs. Bulma." It was natural for the Professor to be a bit scared. He probably hadn't seen a Great Ape in _decades,_ and probably never seen one going through transformation process. Bulma had more experience with this sort of thing thanks to dad when he was young.

With a bandage still covering my eyes, I felt Bulma sticking what I assumed to be nerve sensors around my body. The Professor sounded like he was installing a bunch of computers in the distance, most likely to show the readings of the sensors. Bulma eventually noticed something. "Hmm…? Hey, Court, your arm is wounded."

"It is?" When Bulma touched the area in question, I _did_ feel a slight pain, nothing serious though. "Huh… I must've gotten it while fighting the Fire Dragon and didn't even notice it. Well, it's no big deal, don't worry about it."

"Hmm… I'm going to put a sensor here, just in case." She did, then continued setting up all kinds of other things.

* * *

"Aaaand… _done._ " The two scientists were finally done with their preparations. I had to actually _try_ to keep my tail still when Bulma was hooking up sensors on it. From what the Professor said, they were already getting some interesting readings from me even before the main event started.

"So… can I take the bandage off now? I'm…" I was getting a bit anxious about it, is what I wanted to say. I didn't want to sound impatient, but I just had this feeling…

"Not quite yet, there's one more thing I have to tell you before we start. I'm going to cover your eyes again a few seconds after you look at the moon. We want to know if the transformation can be interrupted if the source of Blutz Waves is cut off at the right time."

"OK, that's fine, just…"

"Alright, when I give you the signal, you can take the bandage off." I lied down on the ground facing the sky, hearing Bulma walk away. "… OK, Court, you're good!" Hearing those words, I took off the bandage and was immediately met with a luminous beacon of beauty in the sky – **the full moon.** Whis wasn't kidding, this planet's moon was **big,** even bigger than Earth's!

"Can you hear us, Court?" I heard the Professor yelling from their safe spot, though I didn't turn to look at them.

"Y-Yeah… I hear you…!" I _couldn't_ turn to look at them, rather. My eyes were glued to the moon. It was… _mesmerizing._

"What do you feel, Court?"

"It's like… _hahh…_ Like a…" I had a hard time finishing sentences because my breathing was getting so heavy. My tail was twitching on its own, no matter how much I tried to keep it still. And honestly, I didn't _want_ to keep it still. This felt… this felt _good…!_

"Red eyes!" Obviously I couldn't see my own eyes, but the next thing I knew, I couldn't see _anything._ Bulma threw a blanket over my face, as she said she would before the experiment began. I felt my heart rate slow down… _a little._

"Oh! You were right, Mrs. Bulma, her readings are slowly going back to normal!"

"Sorry if that startled you, Court, but we needed to act quickly or—" An inner impulse forced me to take off the blanket. I yanked it out of my face and was once again staring at that _shining marvel in the sky._ " _ **EEK!**_ " Bulma ran back to the Professor as fast as she could. "C-Court, I wasn't ready yet!"

"I-I'm sorry, I just… _hahh…_ _I-I just…_ I need… _hahh…_ _ **more…!**_ "

The voices of the others were starting to sound hazy, but I could still vaguely make out what they were saying. "F-Fascinating…! So for… tz Waves are… like a drug of some des…!"

"Look…! … wound is healing… own…! No wond… wants it so…!"

I was hyperventilating like crazy. I couldn't even _blink_ because my eyes were locked dead onto the moon. I don't know what I looked like at the moment, but it probably looked like I was having a heart attack. And it _felt_ like it… _but not in a bad way._ The last time I transformed I was asleep for it, though I do recall feeling like my body was convulsing a lot. _This_ time I was fully awake, and hoo boy, let me tell you, this was… **incredible…!**

* * *

I blanked out for… I don't know, a minute? Maybe more, maybe less. Either way, for however long that was, all I felt was _euphoria._ A sensation unlike anything I'd felt before, which was especially weird because I _had_ supposedly felt this previously. Maybe the moon on Planet Aether being bigger than Earth's had a more noticeable effect than I thought. Either way, once I came to, I realized that the transformation was complete. I was a Great Ape, and just like last time, I was still in control of my body and mind.

"C-Court…? Are you…"

"W-Wha—Wha—Oh… Hi, Bulma." I replied in a dorky tone, _horrendously_ contrasted ( **or** complimented, depending on how you look at it) by my teratoid voice.

"Oh, good, you're… well, _you._ It's OK, Professor Tano, she's fine!" The Professor was hiding behind all the lab equipment, but came out once Bulma spoke up.

"Boy oh boy, Court, you gave me a big scare there for a moment! You were acting so unusual, I thought for sure that we were goners!"

"Yeah, sorry about that, I don't know what came over me back there…"

"Well, with these research results, I believe we _will_ know soon enough."

"It looks like Blutz Waves might be like catnip for you Saiyans, except a lot more potent – you _actually_ passed out for a moment, you know!" I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, which, again, anything I did while looking like a giant monkey must have looked ridiculous. "Anyways, we're going to need you to lie back down for a while. The main reason we're here is to get your limb measurements, after all."

As instructed, I was back on the ground, looking up at the moon once again. It was still… _enticing_ to look at, but not nearly as addicting as it was just a few minutes ago. I was very interested to see just what kind of research results the scientists would find, but that would have to wait until later. Our top priority was making sure that Indi's prosthetic limbs would be ready ASAP.

Since all I needed to do was stay perfectly still, I started to get kind of sleepy. Since I was so big, Bulma and the Professor touching my arm and leg, even _stepping_ on them at times, felt like small tickles. And once again, looking up at the moon was… soothing… _Very soothing… Like it was singing me a lullaby…_ _ **sending me to sleep…**_

* * *

"… Hnngh… Hmm…? **Hm?!** " Waking up, the first thing I saw was Indi lying on top of me! It startled me, but then…

"… Hmm…? Hehe… Good morning, Court!"

"I-Indi…! That arm…! And your leg!" She… _had_ an arm and a leg! They were made of a very high-quality looking metal, undoubtedly the work of Bulma and the Professor. Once I turned to look, I noticed that the aforementioned duo were sleeping on chairs by their lab stations, signaling that they had pulled an all-nighter working. I was incredibly grateful for their hard work, though I guess letting them rest would be the best thanks I could give at the moment.

"Yup! Mrs. Bulma and Professor Tano stayed up all night fixing me up. I feel better than ever!" Seeing Indi looking so alive made me feel _warmth,_ like a great burden had been taken off my shoulders. "And of course…" She lied back down on my chest… "It's all thanks to you, Court."

"Ah…" I placed my hand on Indi's head, gently stroking her hair. "… Heh, it was nothing."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm going to dig fifty feet deep into Saiyan physiology because nobody else wanted to. This is inevitably going to lead into having to come up with a bunch of stuff that no canon media has ever mentioned, but I'll at least try to make _some_ logic out of it. I may not be very good at writing a memorable, epic scene, but I do like to write things that'll make you (and me) go "Ooh…!" As an avid gamer, I like it when things are mechanically sound.

Also, I have changed my profile picture (not the fic's picture) to Indi. Though, as of me typing this, the site is telling me that it's going to take four hours for the changes to take effect, so uhh… If you check now and it still hasn't changed, that's probably why. I also added a link to an album containing the pictures of both Court and Indi in higher resolution, and I will be adding anything else I come up with in the future to it. Though again, the link is giving me issues, so it may not work at the time you're reading this. I'll be periodically checking to make sure it works, and if it doesn't, I'll try something else.


	9. Chapter 9: Lost in Our Arms

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 9: Lost in Our Arms**

I held Indi's hand as we walked out of the tent. She might have had her limbs back, but she still hadn't walked in _years._ She held her tail out kind of stiffly, trying to balance the weight of her body. Relearning such basic motions would take a while, but regardless of how long it took, I was more than happy to help her. In all my time travelling through space, I had never met anyone with quite as _tragic_ a back story like Indi, and yet with such unbridled determination to get better. I almost felt _responsible,_ even if I knew her less than anyone else in the camp. Speaking of which, we saw Gine approaching us.

She gasped. "I-Indi?! Oh my goodness, I don't believe it…!" As she exclaimed this, other people started coming out of their tents and were amazed to see Indi standing on two legs, holding on to me with her right hand.

"It's a miracle!" "The gods have answered our prayers!" and other similar expressions were heard amongst the crowd.

"Indi, I'm so happy for you!" Gine congratulated her, to which Indi replied with a goofy smile. "Court, how can we ever repay you this favor?"

"D'oh, don't worry about that! I'm just here to help in any way I can."

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm so glad you answered our signal when you did, otherwise it might have been too late for Indi!"

"Hehe… Oh, that reminds me. We need to get you guys out of this planet."

"Huh? Oh… I… I-I guess…"

"… What? Aren't… you guys worried about being stranded here?"

Indi decided to take up that question. "Well, it's not _quite_ like that. The main reason the Professor wanted to get in contact with another planet was so that we could trade. In exchange for Aether and other resources unique to this planet, we could get our hands on technology and materials to build up our camp into a village."

"That about sums it up." Gine added. "We like it here, the only problem is our limited resources because we can't explore too far due to the Aether Dragons. If we get our resources through other means, we could build this place up into much more suitable living grounds. The real bonus from Planet Aether is that we're not bound by any **monarchy** like we were in Planet Vegeta. We're free to do as we please without fearing that we might upset the king, which often resulted in… well…"

 _Death,_ probably. As Vegeta has said many times, Saiyans only had room for the mightiest warriors, while the _weaklings_ (as he called them) were left in the dust. Then again, that was also highly influenced by the fact that the majority of the note-worthy Saiyans from back then were as tyrannical as their king. Maybe if only the _good_ Saiyans remained, they could rebuild their legacy in a much more tasteful… **Wait a minute…!**

"Hey, Gine? Indi?" Both of them looked at me with an interested expression.

"Yes, Court?"

"This might sound like a _crazy_ question, but… If there was some kind of magical artifact with the power of reviving all the good inhabitants of Planet Vegeta, would you… Would you welcome them back into this society?"

" _Huuhh…?_ " Gine was as confused as I expected her to be. "That… really _is_ a crazy question, I-I don't know how to respond…"

" _Whoa…_ Well, of course I would!" Indi was excited about the prospect. "Seeing my parents again would make me the happiest person in the world!"

"Court, you… must have brought that up for a reason, right? You wouldn't just say that out of nowhere."

"Hmm… It might be better if we discuss this in a more _private_ environment."

"In that case, let's go to my tent." Gine offered, then guided us to her home as I continued holding onto Indi to make sure she didn't fall.

* * *

Indi and I sat next to each other on the bed while Gine herself sat in a chair in front of us. She prepared some tea made with special leafs on the planet, which had a slight relaxation effect to it. Considering what I was about to tell them, keeping their excitement contained would be difficult anyways.

"So, Court, what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Gine was gentle but to the point.

"Well… Back on Earth, we have these magical spheres called the ' **Dragon Balls.** '" This already piqued the interest of the other two. "There're seven in total, and if you collect all of them, you can summon the eternal dragon Shenron who will grant you three wishes."

"Are you _serious?!_ " Gine nearly jumped out of her chair.

" **Wow…!** What kind of wishes can the dragon grant?" Indi turned her body to look directly at me, though still sitting down on the bed. Her tail was swaying back and forth.

"Just about _any_ wish."

" _Anything?!_ "

"Yup. Shenron could even…"

"… Bring people back from the dead…?" Gine connected the dots before I had to explain it.

"That's right. Though, if it's a large group of people, it'll take up _two_ wishes instead of one. Though that's no problem, don't worry about that."

Indi held my hands vigorously when she heard this. "You're saying that… You want to revive the kind-hearted Saiyans and Tuffles that died on Planet Vegeta?"

"Yes, including your parents, of course."

"Y-You'd do that for us…! I-I… I…!" Indi couldn't talk anymore; instead she hugged me as tightly as she could while tears of joy streamed down her face. I hugged her back, naturally. "C-Court…! Thank you… Thank you _so much…!_ "

Gine seemed happy as well, though not quite as much as Indi. Maybe there was no one in particular that she knew personally who perished alongside the planet. Or perhaps not someone who would classify under "kind-hearted." Still, the prospect of seeing her people flourish again brought a smile to her face. However, she still had some questions lingering in her mind. "Court, I think that's a noble idea! Though, I'm curious… what would you use the last wish for?"

"Oh, _that…_ Well… I'll use it to revive my father." Indi's and Gine's expressions changed from joy to worry when I mentioned my dad's passing.

"O-Oh… I'm sorry to hear that…" I felt Indi's tail wrap around mine as she gave me her condolences. It was a humble way of comforting me without being as overbearing as a hug.

"I'm sorry to hear that as well…" Gine also gave me her condolences. "You mentioned that your father was a Saiyan, correct? Who was he, if you don't mind me asking?"

"An incredibly strong and pure-hearted man named 'Son Goku.'"

"Son Goku…? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone called that…"

"Well, that was his _Earthling_ name. His Saiyan name was… Gah, what was it…? 'Kakarot', I believe." Suddenly, Gine dropped her cup of tea on the ground, staring at me in complete shock. After the loud bang made by the cup falling, the room was struck by a drab _silence_ as Indi and I looked back at Gine with worry.

"Ka… K-Kakarot…?"

"Ah… Ah, y-yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what Vegeta called him. D… Did you know him?"

"K-Kakarot is… _dead…?_ _**M-My son is dead?!**_ " Hearing that key word – " _son_ " – made me fully understand Gine's reaction. And immediately after it, I realized what this implied, which put me in just as much of a shock as she was.

"' _S-Son…?_ 'Th-That means… Gine, you're…"

"… I-I'm your grandmother…!"

We both stood up from our spots and held each other in our arms. Everything was happening so rapidly that we just didn't know what else to do. Tears _cascaded_ down from our eyes as we consoled one another. Indi was as confused as she was troubled by the situation; she had no clue how to react. So she followed her instinct and joined us in our hug, almost like… like she wanted to be part of the family. And considering her situation, well… who could blame her?

* * *

We spent _hours_ catching up. I told my new-found grandma of all the incredible stories that dad had gotten into, at least the versions that I had been told by the people who were there. As I mentioned before, I never really participated in any _major_ fights. The most I ever did was do some minor training with dad after he returned from Namek, and I helped Gohan train Videl when they first met. Otherwise, I spent most of my days at home with mom, studying all kinds of different books as she instructed us. Thanks to that I grew up pretty smart, but only strong enough to defend myself against basic thugs if they decided to attack me while I was in the city. Dad, though, he was in a _whole_ different level.

Grandma was amazed as I told her of his adventures with Bulma and the others gathering the Dragon Balls, taking down the Red Ribbon Army, defeating the Demon King Piccolo – _and_ his son – only to then become friends and rivals. Then, well… the part about Raditz was disheartening for her. I didn't know the details, all I knew is that dad teamed up with Piccolo to fight my uncle, and this resulted in both Saiyans dying for one reason or another. But I saw that grandma wasn't surprised by Raditz's death, even if she was _saddened_ by it. He was one of the _many_ evil Saiyans, after all. Admitting that your own son is responsible for innumerable terrible deeds must be a burden too heavy for anyone besides the victim to understand.

Doing a 180 on grandma's mood, though, I _wowed_ her with the battles that happened on Namek. Not only did her son achieve the **power of legends,** but he also took down the very same tyrant responsible for the extinction of almost the entire Saiyan race. He had avenged his people, even if he didn't really know much about them. And as I continued through the different chapters in dad's life, I impressed her even _more_ with the more recent _legend of legends,_ the **Super Saiyan God.** That was something the average Saiyan wasn't even _aware of._ I could see pride in grandma's eyes, accompanied by the melancholic knowledge that her son was no more. But it all was uplifted with the reassurance that in eight months she'd get to see her son again, which naturally had _me_ just as excited.

On their end, neither Indi nor grandma had much to tell of their time here on Planet Aether. Adapting to the environment was difficult at first, but once they accomplished it, the rest was just a matter of survival. The most interesting thing was learning about Aether itself, which was still mostly a mystery even after all these years of coexisting with it. At least they had enough information to build Indi's prosthetic limbs.

Speaking of which, Bulma and Professor Tano finally awoke from their sleep. We came out of grandma's tent to greet them.

After a long yawn, Bulma spoke. "Good morning, guys…" She was still half asleep…

" _Afternoon,_ actually. You guys slept for a long time!"

"And it was for a good reason, young lady!" The Professor said this proudly as he turned to Indi, examining her artificial limbs. "You haven't felt any strange problems, have you, Indi?"

"Nope! I'm feeling better than ever, Professor!"

"That's a relief." With a smile, the Professor took out his Water Aether glove from his pocket. "Sorry ol' pal, but I hope I'll never need you again."

"Well, anyways, I'd love to stay and chat, but I fear my husband will start getting worried if I don't hurry back home." Bulma had avoided mentioning that she was married to the **Prince of All Saiyans** himself, which was probably for the better. We didn't want to drop _too_ many bombshells on the people here all at once.

"Oh, you're right. Hey, Whis!" I called out for Whis, hoping that he would show up out of nowhere like he always did. _And in fact he did._

"Did you call for me, milady?"

"Where the heck have you been? I haven't seen you since _yesterday!_ "

"Oh, you know, I've been out and about, smelling the flowers. This is a very luscious planet, you know."

"Uh-huh, _sure…_ Anyways, can you do me a favor and take Bulma back to Earth?"

"That's no problem at all. Mrs. Bulma, shall we?"

"I guess this is where I leave." Bulma walked up to Whis, then turned around to face us. "Take care, everyone! I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!" Both the Saiyans and Tuffles said their goodbyes to Bulma and thanked her for what she did for Indi. With a tap on the floor, Whis and Bulma blasted towards the sky in a ray of light.

* * *

"Well, Court, what about you?" Indi asked, still holding my hand to keep her balance.

"Hmm… Unfortunately, I can't stay here much longer, either. Whis and I need to go back to our duties sooner rather than later."

Indi's face dropped a little hearing this. "Oh… I understand."

"But hey, I promise I'll come and visit as often as I can!" I really meant it that time. There were many other planets where I had met wonderful people that I wished to visit again in the future, but Planet Aether's inhabitants were _more_ than special. My job here was _far_ from over. "Tell you what: every time I visit, I'll teach you something about martial arts that I learned from my dad _and_ I'll have new stories to tell you from my planetary travels."

"Martial arts? Do you really think I can do that?" I was reminded of that time I felt Indi's ki _skyrocket_ to unimaginable heights. She had _incredible_ potential, and teaching her how to control that power was key to helping the people in this planet expand to more areas. That, and it was also an efficient way to bond with Indi more. I had a feeling her and I were going to become _very_ good friends.

"Oh, I'm _more_ than confident! And just to prove you how serious I am…" I extended my right hand towards her, and stuck my pinky finger out. "… Pinky promise?"

"Oh?" She looked a bit confused, as she probably never heard of a pinky promise before. But she seemed to have figured it out on her own. "… Yeah! Pinky promise!" She used her new hand to seal the deal.

"H-Hey, Court…?" Grandma looked somewhat nervous.

"Yes, grandma?"

"Umm… How do I say this… Can I… Can I meet my other grandchildren…?"

"Oh… You want to visit Earth with me?"

"If it's not too much trouble, that is."

"Of course, it's no trouble at all! As soon as Whis gets back, I'll ask him to take us to Earth. We can stay the night over there if you want, too."

"Ah…! T-Thank you!" I would have a lot of explaining to do to Gohan and Goten, but there was no way I could refuse grandma's request. Considering dad wasn't around, meeting a new family member would be good for all of us.

* * *

" **Mom!** " I called out for her as grandma and I descended from the sky. Soon after hearing me, mom came out through the front door of our house.

"Court! You're back sooner than I expected!" She gave me a warm welcome, but quickly noticed my company. "Oh? Are you a friend of Court's, ma'am?"

"Nice to meet you, my name is Gine." Grandma bowed to greet mom, which revealed her tail.

"What the— **WAH!** " Mom jumped back in horror. I guess she was still very untrustworthy of any new Saiyans that showed up… "Y-Y-YOU'RE A _SAIYAN?!_ "

"W-Wha—I… Y-Yes, I am…?"

"Ehh… Sorry about that, grandma, mom is still not quite used to the whole I-married-an-alien ordeal…"

"' _ **G-GRANDMA?!**_ ' COURT, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF—"

"Mom, mom, stop shouting, please! You're scaring her… Look, you heard right, this is dad's mom, Gine. I met her just the other day in one of our planetary travels and I brought her here because she wanted to meet the rest of her family."

"Mommy, what's going on?" Goten came to mom's side, worried about all the noise that he was hearing. As soon as grandma laid her eyes on him, she was brought to the brink of tears.

"You must be Goten… You… Y-You look just like Kakarot…!"

"Huh? Who are you, lady? And how do you know my name?" He was so taken aback by grandma's reaction that Goten didn't notice me until several seconds later. "Oh, sis, you're back already! Awesome!"

"Goten, I brought someone very special that wanted to meet you."

"Goten… I'm Gine, and I'm your grandmother."

"My… My _grandmother…?_ W-Wait, what…?"

Grandma kneeled down to be more or less at Goten's height. She looked at him with a gentle expression while trying to fight back the tears. Goten was a carbon copy of dad, after all. "I-I know this might seem a bit sudden… but… can you trust me?"

Goten stood still for a moment, scanning grandma from top to bottom. He was reluctant at first, but after a while, he started slowly walking towards her. Once they were close enough, grandma gave her grandson a hug, unable to hold back the tears any longer. I could tell that Goten was uncomfortable by this, but instead of trying to break free he hugged his grandmother back. This was a _very_ unexpected scenario, but seeing the two meeting for the first time brought me a sense of satisfaction.

"Hey, mom? Would it be OK if Goten stays the night with Gohan?"

Mom watched in awe as her mother-in-law bonded with Goten, but eventually recognized that I asked her a question. "O-Oh, uh… Why?"

"Grandma is going to be staying here on Earth until tomorrow, and we figured she'd want to spend that time with all her grandchildren. Gohan's place is bigger than here, so it'll be easier to pass the night in there."

"I-I see… Well…" She looked back at grandma and Goten, a smile slowly forming on her face. "… Yeah, I guess it's fine for tonight."

* * *

As we flew into Satan City under the night sky, grandma became _awe-struck_ by the scenery. Skyscrapers, flashing lights, thousands of people roaming the streets, flying vehicles… this was the most civilized world she had seen in _decades._ Back in Planet Vegeta, the only technologically-advanced locations were in Frieza's fleets, for the planet's surface was still mostly primitive.

"Whoa… I had no idea that Earthlings would be so… _advanced._ "

"Who knows, maybe Planet Aether will look like this someday."

"No way, we're still _far_ too limited in there…"

"I've seen miracles happen! With a little help, I know Saiyans and Tuffles can accomplish great things."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Goten felt left out of the conversation.

"Hehe, don't worry, squirt! Once we meet up with big brother, we're gonna be catching up for a _loooong_ time." And the _second_ time for me today. "That's Gohan's house up there, grandma."

Even before we landed, Gohan and Videl both walked out of the front door, probably because they felt our ki signatures as we approached. Once we touched ground, they greeted us. "Hey, sis! I didn't expect you to be back so early. And hey, Goten!"

"Gohan, look who we just met!" Goten pointed at grandma.

"It… It's a pleasure to meet you, Gohan." Grandma was very polite, though she was a bit nervous. Considering this was her first time meeting a fully-grown grandson that she didn't even _know_ she had, the reaction was only natural.

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs…" He noticed grandma's tail mid-sentence. "Whoa, a Saiyan?" He was surprised, but at least he didn't _jump back in horror_ like mom…

"Gohan, this is Gine, our **grandmother.** " Both Gohan and Videl were taken aback by this revelation.

" _G-Grandmother?!_ For real? Wow, I…" Gohan stood up straight and walked towards grandma, extending his arm to shake hands. "G-Grandmother, the… the pleasure is mine."

Grandma accepted the hand shake, but as she kept examining Gohan and inevitably being reminded of dad, she went in for the hug. Man, today was all about hugs, wasn't it? We were then guided into the house.

* * *

We retold the many stories that we had gone through here on Earth, except mostly through _Gohan's_ perspective rather than mine this time. I actually learned a few things myself, since big brother had been a key participant in almost every major event in the past 20-something years. Above all, though, grandma was simply _overjoyed_ for being able to spend time with her grandchildren. Videl, too, did a great job at welcoming grandma into the family. Though there was still one person to meet.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Hey, brother, is Pan asleep right now?"

"Oh, you're right. Yeah, she is, but it should be OK if we're quiet." And so Gohan and Videl guided us up to Pan's room. As soon as grandma saw that little bundle of innocence resting in her cradle, her eyes softened up with glee. Even more so when Pan started waking up.

"She's awake…!" Grandma said in a low tone, and her face was the first thing little Pan saw when she opened her eyes. She was confused, naturally, but not _scared._ "Gohan, Videl, can… can I carry her?"

"Hmm-hmm, of course, Mrs. Gine." Videl gave her the OK, and Gohan followed suit.

With all the care in the world, grandma lifted Pan out of her cradle. The two stared at each other with amusement, though it seemed like Pan was still not entirely comfortable with the situation. Noticing this, grandma brought her tail up to poke Pan's, kind of like I had done a few times before. This must have triggered Pan's funny bone because she started smiling and laughing as grandma held her in her arms, to which the elder replied by doing the same.

We came back downstairs, now everyone reunited as a big family. Grandma sat in the middle of a big couch while carrying Pan on her lap and one arm on Goten who was sitting right beside her. Gohan and I were sitting on either side of the couch, almost like _bodyguards._ We continued chatting, laughing, and just… recovering all those years we didn't know we lost. Before we knew it, we all fell asleep holding each other in our arms, with smiles as bright as the sun itself.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I mentioned early into this fic that I'm _not_ the biggest fan of romance and that I probably wasn't going to write any romance into this story. What I _am_ a fan of, however, is family and friend relationships. I will fully recognize the impact that a well-written romance plot can have, but stories about family and friends I think are more _heartwarming._ It's something that's easier to relate to and understand. If you ever watch **Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid,** _that's_ the kind of feeling I love and want to portray with this story, with room for action as well, of course.

Dragon Ball is also very guilty of _not_ establishing strong maternal relationships. And I get it – it's a shounen series made for young boys, so the best way to appeal to them is by having a bunch of strong guys duking it out. However, that leaves me more room to experiment with the other subjects that Dragon Ball _doesn't_ touch on often.

Finally, I appreciate all the reviews you guys are dropping! It moves me to know that people are enjoying the story _overall,_ even if it does things that may not be to your liking. Of course, you don't _have_ to leave a review if you don't want to, and I don't want anyone to _force_ themselves to say something if they have nothing to say. Just taking time out of your afternoon to read my story is more than I could ask for.


	10. Chapter 10: What is Your Wish?

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 10: What is Your Wish?**

Almost eight months had passed already… Hard to believe, isn't it? Since then, grandma Gine decided to move into Earth to live with Gohan and Videl, helping them take care of Pan. Her _unparalleled_ cooking skills (especially with meat) would be dearly missed by those in Planet Aether, but everyone understood her decision to put her family first. Not to mention, having a pure-blooded Saiyan that could explain Pan about her non-Earthling traits would be a big help. Though, grandma wasn't only there to take care of Pan.

Since Vegeta was so difficult to co-operate with, Bulma asked grandma if she would volunteer for some more Saiyan biology research. As it turns out, grandma was _also_ able to control herself as a Great Ape, which led to the conclusion that control over that form is linked to brain **capacity,** _not_ raw power like it was originally believed. A lot of Saiyans in the past couldn't control themselves under the form because… well, they were savages, plain and simple. As technology advanced, Saiyans became smarter and able to control themselves better, but the galactic records _ignored_ that tidbit so that Saiyans could still be advertised as ravenous monsters throughout the universe.

Furthermore, Bulma was able to confirm that Blutz Waves had healing properties for Saiyans. Back in Planet Aether, she noticed that a small wound I had in my arm was healed when I looked at the moon for long enough. Now with grandma to help, she was able to implement artificial Blutz Waves into Capsule Corp.'s healing tanks, increasing their rate of healing _substantially_ for any Saiyan patients. Or, specifically, Saiyans that still had their tails, a.k.a. _not_ Goten, Gohan, Vegeta, or Trunks. The tail was the main source where all the magic happened, so without it there was virtually no change. See, I told you people that amputation was a bad idea!

Anyways, you might be wondering why Bulma was suddenly so enthralled on Saiyan research. Well, that's because **she was pregnant with a second child!** It seems like what I told Vegeta all those months ago after the battle with Frieza actually had an effect; I can't believe I managed to get through that thick skull of his… Bulma was due in about a month, so knowing that she was going to have another Saiyan child, she wanted to be better prepared than how she was with Trunks.

Changing focus from Earth to Aether, _Indi_ had also helped in making some important discoveries. Soon after her prosthetic limbs were installed, Professor Tano enhanced them further by implementing a Water Aether crystal onto Indi's arm. This helped regulate Indi's blood flow better, but it raised a different issue – _frost._ Water Aether tempts to get really cold, which posed the risk of Indi's body freezing from the inside! To prevent this from happening, a Fire Aether was installed on her metallic leg, keeping her body warm and ensuring that the Water Aether's low temperatures would never get out of hand. However, _this_ was what transitioned into the real juicy stuff!

As promised, I began training Indi in between planetary travels, and we more-or-less had a full day to train ( _and_ do other stuff) once a week. As Indi learned to manipulate ki better, she was suddenly learning how to control the Aether in her body as well! It turns out that Aether is channeled as a reaction to high levels of ki. Dragons can use Aether _precisely because_ they're so powerful, and Aether crystals are simply high concentrations of ki engulfed in different elements. Indi was the only resident of Planet Aether strong enough to use the stuff, but this was definitely a breakthrough in its research. Heck, _I_ learned to use it, planting a Wind Aether crystal onto the Mediator. I could fly **super** fast with this thing!

All of these advancements made me hopeful for the future of the Saiyan race. In just a few days, the Dragon Balls would become active again, and the once unstoppable legion of warriors would rise again! Well… the good ones, at least. Sorry, uncle, ya ain't coming back.

* * *

" **Hyah!** " My sword clashed against Indi's, an ice blade that she could create at will thanks to the Water Aether. "… Alright, that's enough for today." Putting our weapons away, the two of us sat down on the floor to rest.

"Phew! Man, I'm _beat!_ You're strong, Court."

"You actually have more ki than me, Indi. I just have more battle experience than you."

"You mean in your planetary travels? How'd the last one go, by the way?"

" _Ehh,_ not good… I tried to find something to help them with, but the entire population was infected with some kind of dangerous virus. If anyone or anything ever left, they could have spread the disease to other areas of the universe, so…"

"… So you had to blow them up?"

"Unfortunately."

"I see… Well, hey, at least you did it for a good cause." Indi reached for my hand. "You did it to protect us."

"Hmm-hmm, yup… That's why I took this job." Considering how benevolent she was, I was surprised at how non-critical Indi was of my duties as Goddess of Destruction. Without sugar coating it, she was best friends with a _genocidal god,_ yet was able to treat me like a friendly neighbor. Death is not an easy concept to accept, and comprehending that death sometimes has _meaning_ is even more complicated. But it's not like Indi was a kid anymore – on the contrary, she was twice my age! She fully understood the consequences of my actions, and still chose to support me in any way she could. _That's_ what made her the best friend I could ask for.

"So the Dragon Balls are almost active again… I'm so happy that you'll get to see your father again!"

"Thanks, and you'll get to see _both_ of your parents! _Everyone_ will get to see their loved ones again."

"Court, I'm so glad we met you. You've done so much for us…" Indi coughed a bit after saying that, probably tired from today's training session.

" _I'm_ glad I met _you!_ My only other 'friend' in this journey was Whis, and he's… how do I say this… _not_ the most supportive. Lately, he just goes away to do his own things so much that I feel like I'm doing this job by myself…"

"Hmm… Maybe he's doing something important, like preparing a special gift for you or something like that!" Such an optimistic attitude towards everything… I envied her. What I _didn't_ envy was the coughing that Indi did again.

"Hey, are you OK? Maybe we should go back to the camp so that you can rest."

"It's no big deal, I'm just…" _More_ coughing, this time more intense…!

"Indi?! What's happening?!"

She held her hand against her chest, just like she did when… _Oh no…_ "A-Ah… I-I'm sorry, it just… it… i-it **hurts…!** " Her breathing was getting heavy, and it was obvious that she was in a lot of pain!

"I-Indi, hang on! I'll take you back to the Professor right now!" Indi became unable to move properly anymore, so I carried her over my back and flew in the direction of the camp as fast as I could.

* * *

Thanks to the Wind Aether helping me fly faster, we were back at the camp within mere minutes. I landed directly in front of Professor Tano's tent, startling the scientist as I rushed inside with Indi on my arms. He immediately recognized the symptoms, which confirmed my grim suspicion… Her blood illness was back. How could this happen…?!

I waited outside the tent for about an hour as the Professor ran a thorough exam on Indi, calming down her spasm with the old Water Aether glove he used in the past. He came out of the tent with an expression that almost physically spelled " _bad news._ "

"Professor…? How…"

With a long sigh, the Professor put as serious a face as he could. "It seems like the prosthetic limbs were only a _temporary_ fix. They were able to subdue the effect of her disease, but it never truly _cured_ her."

"No… Is… Is this because of all the training I had her do?" When the thought crossed my mind, I felt like a lightning bolt of **guilt** struck me at full force.

"It's hard to tell. I'd like to believe that this would eventually happen regardless of whether she did extreme physical activities or not…" He'd _like_ to believe that, but he had no proof. I think he was trying to avoid putting the blame on me, but… I couldn't help but feel like this was all my fault…

"P-Professor, how do we help her, then? Whatever material you need me to bring, blood transfusion that you need me to do, **anything!** I'll even bring Bulma…" Wait, I couldn't do that… She was eight months pregnant, in no condition of traveling across the universe for _any_ reason… "… O-Or… someone, I don't know, I just…"

"Court… Listen. I understand that you want to help Indi in any way you can. But… I'm afraid we've already done everything that we could."

"N-No… Professor, don't say that! T-There _has_ to be something… There has to be…! _You're_ the one that wasn't going to give up on her before! What happened to that?!"

"… I've done everything that science will let me." He looked _defeated._ He _gave up._ But **not me.** There was no way **I** could let my best friend go without trying _everything_ in my power to save her.

An idea then crossed my mind. "I'll take her back to Earth. We have some new healing tanks over at Capsule Corp. Maybe _they'll_ help." I put some unintentional spite on that last statement. Anger was getting the best of me.

* * *

Indi was now floating inside a Blutz Wave-infused healing tank. She was asleep, but at least she seemed healthy again.

I felt terrible for getting Bulma to help me, considering the state she was in, but… I was _desperate._ "Bulma, what do the scans say?"

"As long as she remains in there, she'll be fine. But the healing tank cannot remove her disease…"

"What…?! I-I thought you said that these healing tanks were flawless for Saiyans!"

"I never said ' _flawless,_ ' Court, just ' _improved._ ' They can treat physical wounds almost with the same efficiency as senzu beans, but diseases are a completely different concept."

"Then what's the **point…?!** This _piece of garbage_ can't even…!" I was about to slam my fists against the computer.

" **Court!** " I stopped myself, realizing what I was about to do.

"I… I-I'm sorry, I just…"

"… I know you're angry, and I completely understand why. But sometimes – no matter how difficult it is – you need to accept that _not everything_ can be solved. _You_ should know this better than anyone."

… I understood what she meant by that. I looked at my hand and thought of the countless lives that I had taken with it, knowing that I had done it because they were a _lost cause._ "… So… What's going to happen to Indi…?"

"…"

"… Bulma. _Please,_ just… tell me the truth."

"… If she remains in that tank, she'll have two weeks left. If she leaves… probably less than 24 hours."

"… **No…** " Tears started falling. "… **Indi…!** "

"I'm sorry… _O-Ow…!_ "

"B-Bulma?!"

" _Ugh…_ Sorry, Court, but… I _really_ shouldn't be out here… It's bad for the baby."

"I… I-I understand…" Bulma left the room. It was selfish of me to bring her here in the first place…

* * *

I remained in the tank room, sitting in front of Indi's tank… crying as I remembered all the times we spent together in the past eight months. Indi was… just about the _nicest_ person you would ever meet. She always put others in front of her, never letting her true emotions come out because she didn't want to harm anyone's feelings. I know I had said and _done_ a few things to upset her, but she always brushed it off afterwards, pretending like my measly apologies were more than enough to fix anything. As long as others were happy, _she_ was happy… They say those who suffer the most have the brightest smiles. Indi's smile… it was like staring directly into the sun.

"… Court…"

"Indi?! You're awake!"

"Yeah… Thanks for looking out for me."

"Ah… Y-Yeah…" I didn't want to tell her any of what Bulma and I spoke. Or rather, I wasn't _ready_ to tell her…

"I… I don't have a lot of time left, do I?" … But it looks like _she_ was ready.

"What…?! Y-You heard?!"

"I woke up briefly while you and Bulma were talking… Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop…"

"D-Don't be silly, this is about **you!** How… _How can you be so calm?!_ "

"Eh… It's not the first time I've been like this. It's OK, really."

"No, it's **not** OK!" I got up from my chair, eyes fixated on Indi, whose eyes were the opposite of mine – gentle and carefree. "I… I _know_ you're scared! You're worried… You're sad… You _always_ do this! You hide your emotions because you don't want anyone to feel bad, even when _you're_ suffering beyond anyone's comprehension! Well, it's not working this time!"

"Court…"

"Just **tell me!** Tell me that **I messed up!** Tell me that **I'm an idiot** for telling you to train with me! Tell me that you're **angry with me!** You can't… You can't pretend like I haven't done anything wrong!"

"… Well… Sorry, Court, but… I'd be lying if I said you did."

" _Again with this…?!_ "

"I _mean_ it… These past eight months have been the happiest moments of my life. You've shown me things that I never would have imagined, told me stories beyond my wildest dreams… And you're the only person that wasn't scared to be friends with me."

"What… What are you talking about…?"

"Because of my disease, no one ever wanted to be close to me because they were afraid that I'd be gone the next morning. They were all afraid to lose me, so they simply felt _pity_ for me. You… You actually _wanted_ to be with me. You took me out of the camp, you flew me through the landscape, you played with me, you talked to me… Court, you're the only friend I've ever had."

I stood in awe, trying to process everything that Indi was telling me. I couldn't believe that she thought **I** was that important to her…

"That's why… I don't regret anything that you've done for me."

"I-Indi… I… I _haven't_ done everything! I… I-I'll find a cure…! I…"

Indi simply shook her head. "You know what Bulma and the Professor said, Court."

"Indi, _no…!_ You can't give up as well!"

"If… If you really, really, **really** feel the need to do something for me, then… Collect the Dragon Balls and let me see my parents one last time."

"… Indi…"

She extended her arm and touched the glass with her finger. "… Pinky promise?"

I stared at it for a few seconds, then put my finger on the opposite side of the glass. "… Pinky promise."

* * *

Before me lied the seven mystical Dragon Balls. All around the Capsule Corp. building were our families and friends. Mom, my brothers, grandma, Bulma and her family (with Bulma herself on a wheelchair so that she didn't have to walk), Piccolo, the Lookout crew, Krillin's family, Yamcha and Puar, Master Roshi, Mr. Satan, Tien, Launch, the Pilaf gang, **everyone.** And everyone was excited for what they were about to see. Not only would dad come back, but entire groups of Saiyans and Tuffles would soon be reunited with their loved ones. Everyone had a reason to be joyous, and I was no exception… _So why wasn't I?_

Indi… I was going to make her happier than anyone by letting her see her parents again… But how would _they_ react, knowing that their daughter would only be alive for a few more _days?_ I… I couldn't bear to think of their impending depression… And even knowing that, this was Indi's wish. This is what she wanted, and I was going to make sure to see it through.

"Arise, Shenron!"

The skies were darkened by clouds of storm. The Dragon Balls lit up, making a magical sound that resonated through the entire area. From them, a light in the shape of a giant dragon rose to the heavens, and within moments, the Eternal Dragon Shenron towered before us. We'd seen this happen like 50 times already, but it was _still_ impressive…

Shenron's voice _boomed_ throughout West City. " **I am the Eternal Dragon, Shenron. Now… State your first wish.** "

"Uh…" I was… _hesitant…_

"Court? Come on, sweetie, make the wish." Mom was anxious to see dad as well, naturally.

"Umm… Shenron! I… I wish—" Before I could continue my wish, I saw someone walking out of the Capsule Corp. building. It was… "Indi?!"

"Hey, Court! I… I know I shouldn't be out of the tank, but… I just couldn't miss the moment when my parents came back."

"I-Indi, no, you can't…!"

" **I do not have much time to spare. Speak now! What is your first wish?** " Shenron, as always, was in a hurry.

"S-Shenron, I…" I looked back and forth between everyone around me. Mom was starting to grow impatient as well, Bulma looked worried, and Indi just… had that same smile she always had. I… I…!

" **Speak!** "

" _I…!_ I wish for you to remove Indi's disease permanently!"

" _Wh-What?!_ _**Court?!**_ "

Shenron's eyes lit up. " **Your first wish is granted.** "

Indi's posture immediately changed. Whereas she was previously barely able to stand, now she was standing upright, as if she had never even been sick in the first place. She ran towards me and stood in front of me. "Court… But… _Why?_ "

"… I couldn't bear to lose you… Not another person that's so dear to me."

"Court, what are you doing?!" Grandma was concerned, obviously.

" **Now, state your second wish.** "

"Sorry things turned out this way, but I guess we won't be seeing the Saiyans back for another year." Mom was quick to voice her opinion, a rather _inconsiderate_ one at that. "Go on, Court, we've been keeping your father waiting long enough."

"Wait, but what about the Saiyans and Tuffles?!" Grandma retorted. "Bringing _them_ back is important, too!"

Because bringing the Saiyans and Tuffles back would take up _two_ wishes, we were now faced with a choice. It was either them or dad…

"What the _hell_ are you talking about, Gine?! Goku's not just my husband, he's **your son!** " Mom and grandma were now in a heated debate.

" _Don't you think I know that?!_ But what, do you think I'm just going to be A-OK with keeping the people on Planet Aether empty-handed after we promised to bring their loved ones back?!"

"Like they haven't been dead for _years_ already! They can wait!"

" **My patience grows thin! State your second wish,** _ **now!**_ "

"Court, _hurry up!_ "

This was the hardest decision I would have to take in my _life._ I just _couldn't_ choose… Until… "… Indi."

"Hmm?" I wrapped my arms around her back. "Huh?"

I whispered in her ear "… _I promised._ "

"Court?!"

" **Shenron!** Bring back all the kind-hearted Saiyans and Tuffles that died on Planet Vegeta!" Everyone looked at me in shock.

" **Your wish…** " Shenron's eyes lit up once more, and suddenly, _hundreds,_ maybe even _**thousands**_ of Saiyans and Tuffles appeared all around us. " **… has been granted.** "

"What?" "What is this place?" "Where are we?" And many other similar questions were heard amongst the new crowd.

" **Due to the power required for your second wish, a third wish shall** _ **not**_ **be granted.** "

"No, no, **wait,** **SHENRON!** " Mom screamed.

" **Farewell.** " And with that final word, Shenron vanished in an explosion of light that sent the seven Dragon Balls flying across the globe, to remain sealed as powerless rocks for a full cycle of the seasons.

"Court… How… How **could you…?!** "

"Sorry, mom… It's not easy for me, either, but…" I looked back at Indi, still locked in my arms "… The needs of the many…" I turned back to mom. "… outweigh the needs of the few."

"No… Court… That's your **father** you just _abandoned._ " Rather than continuing the argument, mom turned around and ran. Goten followed after her, and I could tell that he wasn't happy with the results, either. But I made my choice, and nothing could be done to change it anymore.

* * *

Naturally, everyone on Earth wanted to see dad again. But _unlike_ mom, most people at least understood where I was coming from. And, well, they also understood that we'd get to try again in another year. Having to wait another year to see dad was simply too much for mom, however. I felt guilty, but… I would have felt even _worse_ if I had let all those people in Planet Aether down.

Indi and I walked around the crowd, looking for her parents. This was easier said than done, considering we were looking for two people amongst a group of _thousands._ But their distinct dark skin tone and her father's _bright pink hair_ should have helped them stand out. _And indeed they did._

"Wait, Court… That's them! **MOM! DAD!** "

"What…?! Is that… _Indi?!_ **INDI!** "

The two rushed towards us, and Indi jumped in their arms. They all began crying of joy as they felt the warmth of their bodies, a sensation the three hadn't felt in _decades._ It was unbelievable what the Dragon Balls were capable of accomplishing.

"Darling, I can't believe it…! You've grown _so much…!_ " Indi's mom was impressed to see her daughter as a fully-grown adult.

"I don't know what miracle just happened, but thank the heavens we're together again!" Her father was also overjoyed.

"Mom, dad, I want you to meet Court." Indi turned towards me. "If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here right now. In fact, _I_ wouldn't be here without her help! She's done more for us than anyone could imagine."

I was a bit embarrassed by Indi's praise. "Oh, hehe… It was nothing, really. Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs…"

"Mr. Faya."

"And Mrs. Artic."

"Mr. Faya and Mrs. Artic, got it. I'm happy to see you with your daughter again!" The two approached me to shake hands.

"Mrs. Court, I don't know how we can possibly thank you for this." Mr. Faya was giving me some déjà-vu's to when I first visited Planet Aether.

"Heh, don't worry about that! Anyways, I'm sure you three have _a lot_ of catching up to do. Indi, I'm going to see how everyone else is doing, then we'll gather everyone around and see what we'll do afterwards."

"Alright, that's fine. Good luck! And, Court…"

"Hmm?"

Indi raised her pinky finger in front of her face. " _Thank you._ "

* * *

As I walked around, I saw many people hugging each other, some even just to confirm that they were indeed alive. There was such of an air of… I guess _humanity_ amongst the crowd that I still found it hard to believe that these were supposed to be the malicious barbarians everyone feared in the past. False rumors spread like wildfire, I tell ya.

Then… one particular encounter stuck out to me. Vegeta… standing in front of a Saiyan woman. They stared at each other with equally _cold_ eyes… but this lady didn't really look like Vegeta. If they were family, they probably weren't closely related – more like a distant aunt or something. Except… this woman had a distinct looking _crown_ on her head. It certainly wasn't the kind of crown I'd expect from Saiyans, but if she was wearing it at all, it means she was…

"… _Hmph._ It has been a long time, _Queen Prodia._ "

"… Vegeta… Is that _truly_ the appropriate way to speak to your mother?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Boy,_ what a cliff-hanger to close the chapter on! But hey, so you're not left with _so little_ to work with until the next chapter, I have updated the image album for New Judgment with a picture of Queen Prodia! Just go into my profile page here in fanfiction and there should be a link to an imgur website at the bottom of my bio. The Queen should be the third picture in the album. I'll let you know of any time that I update the album further in future chapters.

Since I can't directly reply to guest reviews, I'll address some here:

 **S.P.3518** – Thanks for all the feedback! And thanks for pointing out that Beerus was the one that ordered Frieza to kill the Saiyans, I had actually sort of forgotten about that… But I know how I'm going to handle it now. Again, thanks!

 **Everyone else** – Thanks, y'all! I know it ain't perfect, but I'm going to do my darnest to make this story as enjoyable as I can!

Also, I'm sure some of you might be wondering what I've named some of the characters after. If you think you can figure it out on your own then you can stop reading right here. But if you're curious…

 **Court** – Her name is a double pun. It's "court" as in "food court," like the type you see in a mall. She's named like that because she does favors or "serves" people throughout the universe. However, the second pun stems from "court" as in the governmental institution, where you meet a judge. Court's nickname being "The Judge of Salvation" and the story being called "New Judgment" puts a big emphasis on the whole "judgment" theme of the plot.

 **Indi** – Since Saiyans are named after vegetables and Tuffles are named after fruits, I decided to name Indi after a food _term_ rather than a food item – "ingredients." This also makes sense because a lot of materials were needed to craft her prosthetic limbs, and "materials" can also be interpreted as "ingredients."

 **Professor Tano** – This one's simple: the Spanish word for "plantain" is "platano."

 **Mr. Faya and Mrs. Artic** – Pitaya, a fruit, and Artichoke, a vegetable. But also, since Indi has the ability to control Water Aether and Fire Aether, you can interpret "Faya" as "fire" and "Artic" as "arctic."

 **Queen Prodia** – I'm actually not going to tell you… _yet!_ It'll make more sense once I establish her a bit more. I'll say, though, if you can figure out what she's named after, you might then figure out what will become of her character in the future. It's not really _that_ secretive, but hey, I'm just having fun here!


	11. Chapter 11: Nihil Queen

**New Judgment**

 **Chapter 11: Nihil Queen**

" **Whoa!** D-Did I just hear that right, Vegeta?! This is your _mother?!_ "

Bulma, carried by Mrs. Brief on a wheelchair, entered the scene with a face of shock. The whole situation at the moment was definitely exalting for several reasons, but this was one of the most intriguing – Vegeta's mother, _the_ _ **Queen**_ _of All Saiyans,_ was standing right in front of us! And – both surprisingly _and_ unsurprisingly – Vegeta was indifferent of it. I only observed rather than joining the conversation, but still had many questions that I wanted to ask… _someone._ Queen Prodia herself most likely had the answers to all of them, but something told me she wasn't the talkative kind…

"Hmph. I _suppose_ that's our relationship." Even with his own mother he had a gruff vocabulary…

"What do you mean ' _I suppose?!_ ' Ma'am, I am terribly sorry for his rude behavior." Since Vegeta wouldn't, Bulma had to apologize.

"Hmm… I don't believe you are a Saiyan, yet you seem to have a close relationship with my son. Are you perhaps… his spouse?" With that cold gaze of hers, it was no surprise that Queen Prodia was an observant person.

"Y-Yes, ma'am, my name is Bulma Brief, pleased to meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you, Lady Prodia!" Mrs. Brief introduced herself in a way that ignored all the tension in the atmosphere, as she always did.

Rather than replying with words, the Queen simply glanced over the Briefs and closed her eyes momentarily. Maybe she was simply processing all the information? I don't know, it must be very jarring to come back from the dead after so many years… "… It appears that you will soon have a child. An heir to the throne, I presume?"

"A-Actually, this will be my _second_ child." As if on cue, Trunks flew in from the crowd.

"W-Whoa! You're my grandma, lady?!"

"If that man beside you calls you his son, then yes, child."

"Wow, you speak _weird,_ grandma. And how come you look younger than my mom— **OW!** " That little comment earned him a smack on the head by Bulma. Considering how Trunks from the future was so polite and careful with his words, it was still surprising to see his younger self be so… _reckless._ Though, he did have a point – Queen Prodia _did_ look really young, despite being… what, 60-something? 70-something? If she was Vegeta's mother, she had to be at least on that range. Then again, so was my grandma. Do we Saiyans have elven blood or something?

"So, Vegeta, is there another group of Saiyans besides the ones surrounding us that I should be aware of? With how disinterested you appear to see all of your subordinates magically manifest before you, I would think this wouldn't be news."

"You heard the brat – she revived all the _weaklings._ I've no interest in them if they're unwilling to show their pride as warriors."

"That's strange. Because it appears that you have softened as well." Saying this, Queen Prodia once again examined Vegeta's family carefully. "I wouldn't think that the _proud Prince of All Saiyans_ would belong to such a… _cheerful_ family."

" _Hmph._ If you've just come here to make remarks, then our conversation is over. I don't care what you do, just don't bother me." Vegeta turned around and flew off towards the mountains. He looked like he just wanted to get away from all the noise.

"V-Vegeta! I can't _believe_ that man! Honestly…" Bulma was terribly embarrassed by her husband's performance. "My most sincere apologies, Queen Prodia. I know this must be a lot to take in, but please, make yourself at home!"

"Do not worry. My presence shall not stain your peace for long."

"Eh? What's _that_ mean, grandma?" Trunks just couldn't understand his grandmother's odd way of speaking.

"A-Anyways, if there's anything you need, let us know!" With that, Bulma and the other Briefs went back into the Capsule Corp. building. Bulma really couldn't stay out here with all this "excitement" for too long.

* * *

"… Court, correct?"

"E-Eh…?" Without even turning to face me, Queen Prodia recognized my presence and remembered my name, most likely from overhearing the conversations when she was brought back. "A-Ah, y-yes, your majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

"You need not fear me. I assure you I do not intend to harm anyone." I think that was her way of telling me to come closer. Once I approached her, I got a chance to really examine the Queen's physique, and… other than the cold expression and somewhat short height, she really didn't resemble Vegeta… _at all._ _**Or**_ Tarble, for that matter. But something told me she _wasn't_ an adoptive mother. It was then that I noticed that I could only _partially_ feel her ki… She wasn't hiding it, no, it's more like part of it was just… _missing?_ With every second, Queen Prodia became more and more of a mystery…

"U-Umm… so…" I didn't really know where to start…

"I can tell you have questions, as do I." Thankfully, _she_ knew where to start. "Perhaps we should address the obvious one first: why have you brought a once feared race back from the realm of the dead?"

"Ah… Well, so that they can reunite with their friends and families. The Saiyans and unknowingly the Tuffles were murdered by Frieza in cold blood, so I think they deserve a second chance."

"… ' _Families…_ ' Such a meaningless concept." What the Queen said was harsh, but she didn't say it with spite. It was more like a direct statement. She turned her attention to the crowds of Saiyans and Tuffles and just… observed them.

The more I examined Queen Prodia, the more I realized that there was a single word that could accurately describe her entire being: **subtlety.** Every sentence that escaped her mouth had meaning, but the emotions behind them were almost non-existent. Her _presence_ wasn't imposing like you would expect from royalty, but rather _serene_ – just _looking_ at her made you want to sit down and think. Her bodily movements were limited, with a stoic face, barely blinking, and no unnecessary gesticulation. Even her tail – despite being constantly in motion – was never distracting; it's like it was floating underwater, completely different from _my_ tail with its twitches and occasional "whips." Everything about Queen Prodia had the grace that I would expect from royalty, but not a _hint_ of the dominance that I imagined a Saiyan queen would have.

"I suppose I should be grateful to you, however. From what I've gathered, you've done a great _sacrifice_ to summon us here."

"Oh…" She knew already…? "You're… Y-You're very observant, your majesty…"

"I believe _they_ do not know of your efforts, however."

"Oh, hehe, it's OK, I just wanted to help!"

"Nonsense. You deserve recognition; that is the _least_ the people owe you." Saying this, Queen Prodia began floating just slightly above the ground. "Follow me." She flew towards the top of the Capsule Corp. building. It looked like she wasn't going to take a " _no_ " for an answer, so I obeyed and followed.

"Umm… Your Majesty? What did you want me to do?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she lifted her arm and held her open palm pointing towards the sky. Gathering energy, she formed… a _**Power Ball?!**_ Like, the same kind that Vegeta and Turles used before! Was she going to turn all the Saiyans into Great Apes?!

"W-Wait, Queen Prodia, please, this is too dangerous! I-I don't think all of them can control themselves under… under…" I was already having a hard time talking, because my focus was now locked onto the Queen's Power Ball. She was still holding it above her hand, however – she hadn't thrown it and expanded it like the others normally would. Soon, all the other Saiyans in the area would be staring at the Power Ball. No one was transforming or even had the symbolic red eyes, but none of us could take our eyes off of that _hypnotizing light…_ The Tuffles weren't affected by the Blutz Waves, but nonetheless still turned their attention towards the source of light.

"Saiyans and Tuffles that now stand on this uncharted land, I require your attention for an important announcement." The Queen dissipated the Power Ball, so now all eyes from the crowd were focused on her. That was all just to get everyone's attention? _Man,_ Queen Prodia wasn't messing around… "This young Saiyan standing beside me is the one responsible for returning all of us to the realm of the living." Now everyone's eyes were focused on _me!_

"O-Oh, I, uhh… H-Hello…!" I waved at the audience awkwardly, not really knowing what to say in this situation. I saw Indi looking at me with a proud smile, which helped calm down my nerves… somewhat.

"She has brought us all here with the purpose of allowing us a second chance at living. We all owe her our lives, and as such she deserves nothing but the utmost respect." So much praise from the Queen of All Saiyans herself… Though, it seemed like only I was truly aware that she _was_ a queen. Everyone in the audience looked confused at Queen Prodia's presence, like they'd never stood before royalty before… "Savior, please introduce yourself."

"Eerrr… M-My name is Court, and as you just heard from Your Majesty, I've revived you all so that you can reunite with your loved ones!" People then started cheering, shouting my name and thanking me. This wouldn't be the first time I would have a crowd doing this for me, as some inhabitants of other planets had done this already, but it was always a remarkable experience. "Geez, I feel so praised…! You didn't have to go through all that trouble just for me, Queen… Prodia…?" While the crowd roared in excitement, the Queen casually left the scene and no one except me noticed…

* * *

I talked with many of the Saiyans and Tuffles in the city. Most thanked me with words, some bowed to me as if _I_ were the queen instead, while others were shy and simply watched from a distance. There were so many different personalities and distinct appearances from everyone that I once again questioned why both species were believed to be so _one-dimensional._ Not all Saiyans were brute savages and not all Tuffles were naïve cowards – considering how distinct Earthlings were from each other, why should other humanoids be any different?

Once all was said and done, an important question remained: how were we going to get all of these Saiyans and Tuffles to Planet Aether? Summoning Shenron on that planet would have been easier, but _understandably_ Dende didn't feel safe about us taking the Dragon Balls to a completely different quadrant of the galaxy. Even using our transportation Cube, we would only be able to fit about fifty people per journey, not to mention that the Cube wasn't supposed to be used by non-gods so freely. Perhaps something like Frieza's spaceship would work… but _bigger._ But where the heck would we get something like that?

"Hey, Court."

"Oh, hey, grandma, what's up?"

"That lady you were talking with left you a message. She said that she was going to look around the city for a while and to meet her in an hour at… uhh, a… a ' _place where souls come to rest…_ ' or something like that…"

"'A place where souls come to rest…?' That's… _odd._ Also, grandma, ' _that lady?_ ' Don't… Don't you know who that was?"

"I… don't recall seeing her before, no."

"But… that was _the Queen._ "

"Queen…? Umm…" A few of the people standing around us had confused looks as well.

"Queen what?" Someone asked. "I didn't know we _had_ a queen…" Another spoke.

"Did she tell you she was a queen, Court?" Grandma was legitimately confused, and so was I, but for a different reason.

"Yeah, Vegeta even called her his _mother_ and everything! If it's true that no one here knows about the Queen – not even her _existence_ – then there's something _very_ strange going on…"

"Maybe it'd be best if you meet her as soon as possible. Don't worry, me and the others will find a place for the Saiyans and Tuffles to stay while we figure some way to transport them."

"Thanks, grandma. Alright, then, I better get going soon."

* * *

"A place where souls go to rest…" A cemetery would be the most logical guess. But why on Earth would the Queen want to meet me _there_ of all places? I was almost tempted to go find the Queen before the hour passed so that I could convince her to have our conversation somewhere else, but maybe she had her reasons. I decided to play along and went to West City's cemetery, a place I strangely never had the need to visit. Despite how often our friends and family members _died,_ none of them would _stay_ dead for long thanks to the Dragon Balls, so their bodies were never buried in an official cemetery. Except… dad, back when Cell killed him… I truly was sorry, but the situation really called for a different order of priorities. As someone who is supposed to treat _all_ people equally, this technically was the right decision.

I took a seat on the walkway of the cemetery's mausoleum to wait for Queen Prodia. I watched as people brought bundles of flowers to the graves of the deceased – individuals of all ages and backgrounds were here. It was truly a shame, but _death_ was the single most powerful force that could bring us together. Since I was immortal now, I realized that I'd have to go through that same pain of losing people close to me… for the rest of eternity… Oh, god, what the hell was I thinking all of a sudden? Get your mind out of the gutter, Court, this isn't the time to get all gloo—" _ **WAH!**_ Q-Queen Prodia, you startled me!"

"… My apologies." Before I knew it, she was just sitting right next to me! When? _How?_ Talk about dead silence…

I composed myself from the scare. "A-Anyways, umm… What is it that you wanted to talk about, your majesty?"

"Please, there is no need for such formalities. 'Your majesty' is unfittingly grandiose."

"But, you're a queen!"

"… I wonder…" This… was going to be a very interesting conversation. "Allow me to ask you something: where do you believe that peaceful souls ascend to?"

"Umm… They go to the Other World, right? Specifically Heaven if they are peaceful like you said…"

"Heaven… It sounds like a pleasant place."

"Yeah… Actually, I went there once. When this bad guy called Majin Buu killed everyone on Earth, I and many others were sent there for a short while, until we were wished back to life with the Dragon Balls."

"Hmm… This sounds like an amusing story. I wonder if anyone I've known has passed onto this _Heaven._ "

"Huh? Umm…" That was so out of the blue that I didn't know what to respond…

"Court… Have you ever felt the hands of a lifeless being?" And **that** was _reaaaaally_ out of the blue, _OK,_ that made me uncomfortable…

"Q-Queen Prodia…?! Wh-Why… uhh… I-I mean…" I… _had._ When I held my father's hands after Frieza's fight… It was… _painful…_ A pain I wouldn't wish onto my worst enemies. A pain so deep that… that I didn't want to admit that I had felt it at all.

"… So you have." I guess my stuttering gave it away regardless… Then, Queen Prodia extended her hand close to mine, signaling for me to touch it…?

"Q-Queen, what…?" Once again, the silent treatment. She wanted me to feel her hand… So I did, and…?! It was _cold…_ cold from the _inside…_ The same frigid sensation that cursed my father's corpse. But _how?!_ She wasn't dead, she was sitting right next to me, breathing, talking…!

"Does it feel familiar?"

"W-What's going on…?! Queen Prodia, I-I-I don't understand, how can…?!"

"It is ironic that you were able to revive me, Court… for I don't believe I have ever truly been _alive._ " The Queen stood up from the chair and walked in the direction of the cemetery's thicker forest, an area less populated by bystanders. I know she wanted me to follow her, and even though I was scared from what I had just experienced… I was too far into this mystery to back down.

* * *

I followed closely behind the Queen as she walked through the woods. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but the words simply wouldn't leave my mouth… She was as silent as I was for a short while.

"… While I cannot provide you with anything of value, _answers_ may be the best that you will receive from me, Court." So she was willing to answer my questions, but I still didn't even know where to start… She stopped for a moment, then turned around to face me directly. "I am, indeed, the mother of the man you call the Prince."

"What…? Oh, oh, no, I believe you, of course! It's just… you… don't look a lot like him… or his brother." I tried to find some _hint_ on her facial structure that maybe signaled that she was Vegeta's or Tarble's mother, but I couldn't find anything… It's like she didn't even _belong_ to the same family.

"As I mentioned previously, I do not and have never considered myself to be alive." She turned around and continued walking, with me following behind her. "Unlike many other Saiyans, I lack… _presence._ "

As we continued into the forest, less and less people surrounded us, until it was just the Queen and I walking by ourselves. The air was starting to get cold, too…

"Despite this, I was born with an above-average amount of energy. Perhaps not quite to the level of the King or some of his most elite warriors, but enough to gather attention from those interested. These two features of mine were in King Vegeta's best interest – I could bear powerful heirs to the throne, while posing no obstacles in his rule."

"So… You're saying that the King made you his wife because you wouldn't bother him? That's… _terrible…!_ " The Queen was chosen to give birth to Vegeta and Tarble, and _nothing more…_ And here I thought Vegeta was a bad husband; his father was even worse!

"The reason my appearance bears little resemblance to that of my children is because my genes are naturally recessive. Only my high energy was inherited by Vegeta, while Tarble was left with nothing but his father's face. I am not entirely certain of how you know of Tarble's existence, but I doubt he is aware of mine. If you were not alongside me at this moment, you would probably forget about me as well, Court."

With every new detail, the Queen's story became more and more _saddening._ Someone whose special trait is to be _ignored_ by the world around you… that is just too cruel. But apparently this trait of hers went even deeper.

"The King could have disposed of me after the birth of his two sons, but decided to put my unique abilities to use. I was to remain in the lowest depths of the castle, where 'obsolete' inhabitants were sent to be judged." That probably means that she only ever got to see Vegeta or, hell, _anyone_ in the outside world on very rare occasions, _if at all._

"Wait, so, the reason Vegeta is so mean to you is because you never even got a chance to parent him? And none of the other Saiyans and Tuffles recognized you because you were never allowed to leave some dungeon…"

"That is correct." She said this with a very serious tone, but I know there was resentment in her heart. Queen Prodia was cold… but _not evil._ "The faces I became most acquainted with were those of the victims that were banished into my domain. Weakened warriors, ill villagers, and those who were of no further use to the King; _they_ were the restless souls that discovered my existence."

The forest continued getting colder. It was starting to get under my skin…

"They told me of their sins, their regrets, the pains that would haunt them in the afterlife. And my duty was to give their souls eternal rest. This cemetery… it feels like a home to me."

So _that's_ why she wanted to meet me here…

"The separation of body and spirit… It is an art that curses those who possess it." It felt like we had changed seasons in the span of a few minutes… This place was _eerily_ cold now…! "We who are cursed…"

"… **Become phantoms of torment.** "

My heart skipped a beat. I jumped several feet forward when I heard the Queen's voice _echoing_ behind me. I turned around with dizzy eyes to a sight I did not expect to witness… A… _ghost_ of Queen Prodia was floating beside her…?! The spirit's hair seemed to have a mind of its own, moving as if it were underwater. She was… transparent, but had an ominous glow from within, contrasted by the cloud of darkness that engulfed her feet… assuming she _had_ any feet at all. And her eyes… black like the night, but with bright pupils that could pierce the thickest of fogs. That's when I noticed that the "physical" Queen's eyes had gone completely _lifeless,_ as she just stood there, staring at me with no sign of emotion… Nothing in the world could have prepared me for this.

Breathing heavily as I feared for my life (because immortality may not be fool-proof against _this_ ), I tried to ask the most obvious question. "Wh… Wh-What… _W-What's going on…?!_ "

" **This is my true self, Court. This body is but a mere carcass that allows me to dwell in what we consider to be the 'common society.'** " Her voice was _ghastly,_ but…

"A… A-Are you…?!"

" **I apologize if the truth frightens you, but this was the most efficient way to explain my macabre characteristics. I do not intend to harm you.** "

Queen Prodia's ghost phased into her physical body, returning to its "shell." Her eyes went back to normal, and the somber cold that impregnated the environment vanished. I just didn't know what to make of anything that just happened… I stood up from the floor with an expression of worry and confusion.

"I hope that this experience has helped clear most of your inquiries, Court."

"Q-Queen Prodia, how… how did you become like this…?!"

"If you have further questions, I ask that you save them for a future occasion. I would like to have some time alone to assimilate with this world." Once again the Queen turned and walked in a different direction, but this time I didn't follow her. Just like her, _I_ needed some time of my own to process everything I had witnessed…

* * *

As difficult as it was, I tried to put my " _chat_ " with Queen Prodia in the back of my mind and go back to Capsule Corp. On my way there, I noticed that many of the Saiyans and Tuffles were walking (and flying) around the city, trying to get familiar with this strange new world they had been suddenly thrown into. I didn't consider the possibility that maybe some of them would have liked to _stay_ here… actually, I had done virtually no planning at all after reviving the Saiyans and Tuffles. As a goddess, I was used to helping people, but not _leading_ them…

I was going to search for Indi as soon as I came back, but a certain someone caught my attention first…

"What the…! **Whis!** "

"Oh, hello, milady! Looks like you've been quite busy."

"You can say that again! Where the hell have you been?! You just dropped me and Indi off here, like, over a week ago and then left!"

"My most sincere apologies, _Master,_ but I had important matters to attend to."

"Like what?"

"Something similar to what you've been doing, Lady Court: spending precious time with family and whatnot."

"You _don't_ strike me as the kind of guy who's devoted to their families… Are you hiding something from me?"

"Oh, milady, you hurt me with your distrust! Everything I do behind the scenes is in your best interest…!" He did some fake sobs after that. Man, Whis _really_ knew how to get on my nerves…

"… _Psh,_ whatever, look, just don't disappear like that again. I need help getting the Saiyans and Tuffles back to Planet Aether. Do you know of something or someone that could help with that?"

"Hmm… I'm afraid I can't think of anything at the moment, milady."

" _Great…_ Ugh, I guess I'll just have to ask around and see if anyone has any ideas."

"Good luck, Lady Court!" That was Whis' way of saying that he was going to be of little help…

The only thing I could think to do was build a ship for them. Bulma couldn't help for obvious reasons, so I would need help from someone else… _But who?_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I have to strongly point out that this fan fiction is being written at a time when we do **not** know of Vegeta's mother in the official canon. If in the future they actually reveal Vegeta's mother and introduce her as a character like they did with Gine, the present me would have absolutely no idea about it. And considering that an official Dragon Ball movie has been confirmed for 2018 that will revolve around the "origin of the Saiyans' powers," who knows what characters will get introduced in there.

In other news, I have once again updated the image gallery for New Judgment, which you can check out at the bottom of my bio on my profile page. Since I constantly have characters hugging each other in this story, I put up a picture of Court and Indi doing just that. Though, I realize that it might have been better to get a picture of "ghost" Prodia, so you get a good idea of what she really looks like. I'll try to get that for next time, but until then, umm… Imagine Queen Prodia and Reika from Fatal Frame III did a fusion dance, that's more or less what she looks like.

Speaking of art, I normally reply to non-Guest reviews via private messages, but I do want to touch up on this one publically, since it concerns everyone.

 **The Fanfiction Criticist** – That's a really fun review method you guys have with the back and forth dialogue, I like it. But it's funny how Jay keeps bringing up how sexy the girls are, because I can easily get a hold of some more… _provocative_ artwork for them. You see, the truth is, I'm the _writer_ of the story, while my, let's call him, "partner" is the artist. He enjoys drawing lewds more than anything, and the OC's of this story are right up his alley. Of course, I can't actually link you to any NSFW content from an SFW story in an SFW website. This is more of a heads up; if you come across New Judgment lewds in the near future, now you know why. The story has to end eventually, but art… that can go on _forever._

That said, any lewd pictures that appear in the future will bear no resemblance to the plot. It'll just be something fun that the artist will do, _not_ explicit representations of any scenes that will occur in the story.

As for the people conflicted over Court's decision to revive the Saiyans and Tuffles over Goku, that's good! It's not an easy choice, and if people _aren't_ unanimously agreeing with Court, it means the choice had an effect on the audience. Naturally, I don't expect people to be happy when a character that has been part of their childhoods for _decades_ gets put aside for a bunch of OC's. So now it's my job to flesh these new characters out so that the plot advances in accordance to them, even if people would rather have Goku instead.


End file.
